In the middle of 2018, Apple started cracking down on keyword-stuffing in podcast tags. My own show, The Audacity to Podcast, was even affected, and I've been tracking and testing other podcasts. Here's what I found!

TL;DR: Make the title tag the title, the author tag the author(s), and put descriptive text in descriptive fields. Don't try to game the system.

Background

First, I'll admit I knew I was crossing this new and not completely defined line for what was allowed in podcast tags. Although I never encouraged stuffing or spamming your RSS tags with keywords, I had been giving the advice to include some keywords in the form of a sentence-style tagline as this can help with podcast SEO.

But when some unethical podcasters learned how Apple Podcasts / iTunes search works, they would abuse these tools and spam their RSS tags with keywords, hoping to boost their podcasts' findability.

For the whole of this blog post, only my own podcasts and those acceptable examples will be real podcasts. Unacceptable examples will be fictionalized. (But do the spammers really need the protection?)

How much is “spamming”?

Because Apple Podcasts currently searches only the title and author tags (show-level and episode-level), some podcasts would fill those fields with extra keywords and descriptions. Here's a clear example of abuse (again, this is fictionalized but based on actual samples):

Author: John Smith, expert entrepreneur who interviews and discusses marketing ideas from people like Pat Flynn, Seth Godin, Zig Ziglar and more. If Steve Jobs was still alive, he would be on this podcast

I'm going to assume you're among the intelligent and ethical podcasters and podcast-fans. So you can probably immediately recognize that this example is trying way too hard.

Without a doubt, if your podcast has a title or author tag that looks like the above, it will be rejected. This is happening immediately for new podcasts submitting through Podcasts Connect, and it's also happening to existing podcasts (read on for when that seems to happen).

The unacceptable gray area

Perhaps a podcaster is trying to be ethical but also trying to make their podcast findable for relevant search terms. Thus, they may be more conservative with their keyword usage, even in line with what I used to teach.

Here's what my own podcast was before Apple rejected it.

Title: The Audacity to Podcast – how to launch and improve your podcast

I left my podcast like this when Apple started tightening the standards and I knew my podcast had the potential to be removed. But as you can see, I wasn't stuffing my tags with a list of keywords; I was giving my podcast and myself what I consider to be “taglines” or “subtitles.”

In the process of discussing things with the Apple Podcasts support team, I learned that while my title contained extraneous information, it was especially the author tag that got my podcast kicked out of Apple Podcasts.

What is the acceptable limit?

If your own podcast has been rejected by Apple, you've probably seen this response verbatim from their support team.

Your show was rejected because the author field or title field contains extraneous information that should be included as part of its description (<description>, <itunes:subtitle>, or <itunes:summary>) tags.

While you might think this is a vague response from Apple, I think it's a clear enough definition of the limit. Not the “extraneous” part, but “information that should be included as part of its description.”

In my own podcast, “how to launch and improve your podcast” was not the title; it was a description. And “podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher” was not the creator of the podcast, it was a description of the creator.

Put in a profound way:

The title tag should be only the title.

The author tag should be only the author.

The descriptive tags should contain the descriptions.

“Duh,” right? I think Apple's standard does make total sense.

If you have multiple regular cohosts or there's a company or network behind the podcast, it would also be acceptable to include those names in the author tag. They are, after all, authors of the podcast! Thus, author tags like the following are acceptable:

Daniel J. Lewis | Noodle Mix Network

Mike Carruthers | Wondery

John Smith, Jane Doe, and Christian Wolff • ZZZ Accounting

Focus Features, Stitcher, Limina House & Jad Abumrad

Malcolm Gladwell / Panoply

In further correspondence with the Apple Podcasts support team, I learned there's a little more flexibility with the title, but not much. A quick look at the top 200 of all podcasts in Apple Podcasts gives several good examples of acceptable flexibility in titles.

Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.

Dark Topic: A True Crime Podcast

Snap Judgment Presents: Spooked

Steve McNair: Fall of a Titan

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah: Ears Edition

Oprah’s Master Class: The Podcast

Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast

UnErased: The History of Conversion Therapy in America

Unsolved Murders: True Crime Stories

The Church of What's Happening Now: With Joey Coco Diaz

Death by Misadventure: True Paranormal Mystery

Fantasy Footballers – Fantasy Football Podcast

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: Addendum

Notice that, contrary to some of the legalistic fear and advice, these titles do contain separators, such as colons (:) and hyphens (-). Some of these titles are even unnecessarily redundant with the host's name in the title! (So, yes, there's still some room for improvement, but I recommend not including the host's name in the title.)

Also, notice that none of these titles contain a tagline in the title. The extra text is either part of the unique branding (such as Snap Judgment Presents: Spooked) or a generic title of the genre (such as “true crime podcast”).

This leads me to believe my biggest concern for findability—fan podcasts—will still be allowed to include the title of the fandom inside the title of their podcast. Thus, I think titles such as the following would be acceptable and serve the need for podcast SEO.

ONCE – Unofficial Once Upon a Time podcast

Welcome to Level Seven: Agents of SHIELD fan podcast

What about podcast SEO?

I was the first to thoroughly study, test, and create a complete course on SEO for Podcasters (major revisions planned for 2019!). And I know that the big reason podcasters want to get extra keywords in their tags is that this helps with search-engine optimization (SEO). As the thinking and my previous teaching went, the “My Awesome Podcast” show would be more findable for a topic like “marketing” if that keyword was in the title or author tags, since that's all that Apple Podcasts and iTunes currently search. (Most other podcast apps also search the show-level description tags.)

But in my example, “marketing” would be a description of the podcast, not a title. Thus, it shouldn't be in the title. So how else could the podcast be found for that and the other topics?

This is where other ethical podcast-SEO strategies need to take priority. Many of the top podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts/iTunes, include some information from individual episodes. Web searches especially prioritize the individual posts' information. Thus, if you want your podcast found for certain keywords that aren't part of your show-level title, I suggest making well-titled episodes about those topics. Using my fictionalized example, I could make episodes like the following.

Awesome Marketing Tips

Should You Invest in Bitcoin?

Why Vanilla Cream Soda Is the Best

Thinking of Becoming an Entrepreneur?

10 Passive Income Strategies

How to Make Relationships Last

You can even apply this to fan podcasts.

Top 10 MacGyver Episodes

The Best LA Dodgers Games

Why Watch Once Upon a Time?

Most Popular iPhone Models

These episode titles contain those target keywords, so they contribute to the overall show's findability for those same keywords. But even more importantly, these titles make a better experience for the audience by clearly communicating the subjects of each episode. So when you practice better SEO techniques, you're actually serving your audience better!

And that leads to a question you may be wondering.

Why does Apple suddenly want to stop the keyword-stuffing?

I think Apple cares about cleaning up the podcasts in their catalog for one huge reason: the user experience. There seem to be three sides to this.

1. Cleaner listings

Scrolling through a chart of top podcasts or a subscription list is actually a much better experience when the titles are clean, clear, and concise. I noticed this when I was looking through my own podcast subscriptions. The shorter, non-truncated titles were easier to read, the screen was less cluttered, and the titles actually stood out more!

My subscriptions went from something like this:

The Audacity to Podcast – how to launch and improve…

Marketing Tips for Entrepreneurs: effective ways to…

Overcoming Fear: Everything you need to succeed in…

Everything about Everything: The podcast that covers…

To now something like this:

The Audacity to Podcast

Marketing Tips for Entrepreneurs

Overcoming Fear

Everything about Everything

The charts and feature lists in podcast apps are also a lot easier to read when titles and author tags are not truncated!

These cleaner listings really do make a better user experience!

2. Voice-based interactions

Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, and more vocal interaction technologies are entering our world through smartphones, smartwatches, smart speakers, entertainment systems, apps, automobiles, and more. These interactions are supposed to feel natural and not robotic, and I think this is a big reason Apple wants to clean up their podcast catalog.

A couple months ago, if you said, “Hey, Siri, subscribe to The Audacity to Podcast,” should would have responded, “Just to confirm, do you want to subscribe to the podcast ‘The Audacity to Podcast, how to launch and improve your podcast,' by Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher?” Imagine if my title or author tags were longer!

But when the title and author tags are cleaned up, Siri's response isn't so overwhelming: “Just to confirm, do you want to subscribe to the podcast “The Audacity to Podcast” by Daniel J. Lewis?” Isn't that nicer?

And although this is probably not required on any voice assistant, can you imagine having to say the entire title correctly in order to subscribe to the podcast?

3. Cracking down on spammers and cheaters

At the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2018, James Boggs, a manager in the Apple Podcasts team, said:

We're continually refreshing and managing our directory, automatically retiring shows which become technically unavailable or those that run afoul of our directory content guidelines, such as those with spammy content or shows seeking to manipulate our top charts. Don't do that. Just please don't do that.

Content creators are already familiar search engines tweaking their algorithms to demote or blacklist sites using unethical tricks in attempts to cheat their way to the top of search results. I think James Boggs made it clear that Apple is seeking to do the same thing with Apple Podcasts, probably with the hopes to expose and reward those with high-quality content and a truly engaged audience the podcasts earned legitimately.

We can apply this to many other fields and quickly realize how annoying it is to be confronted by those who are trying way too hard to close the deal: used-car salespeople, politicians, and those overly zealous people at mall kiosks.

How is Apple finding podcasts to reject?

The first place Apple is looking is at newly submitted podcasts. For years, we've been familiar with rules for podcasts in Apple Podcasts, such as avoiding profanity in the text or cover art, a valid podcast RSS feed, and some more requirements and guidelines. If a podcast doesn't meet these standards, it gets rejected before even entering the Apple Podcasts catalog.

But, like my own show, many existing and even long-running podcasts are being rejected (unfortunately, it seems to be without notice, too). What I can tell for sure, based on data from tracking tools I've developed, is that Apple is keeping a close eye on the top 200 of all podcasts and probably featured sections (“New & Noteworthy,” “What's Hot,” and such). I've been tracking several podcasts I thought would likely get rejected, some of them, including my own, have been going for months or even years. But in most cases, the very day they made it into the top 200 of all podcasts, they got rejected. I've seen this happen as quickly as three hours after breaking into the top 200.

And you may think this means your podcast is “safe” from ranking in the top 200, but the top charts in Apple Podcasts are based on new subscriptions. And as testing and data consistently confirm, it really doesn't take a lot of new subscribers in a day to push a podcast into the top 200. My own The Audacity to Podcast was sitting below the top 200 for months and then it must have been featured or mentioned somewhere else because it jumped overnight into the top 200—and I didn't do a single thing! It's even on a hiatus (this important episode being the exception)!

For clarification, I'm not referring to the top 200 within any of the 67 genres or categories in Apple Podcasts. Instead, I'm referring to the top 200 of all podcasts in Apple Podcasts. While I've seen several podcasts get away with spammy tags in the top 200 of those other genres, I doubt it will be long before Apple expands their scope to police more areas.

It also seems Apple is auditing podcasts that change their show-level information, such as the title, author tag, description, or cover art.

Beyond that, there could be some other algorithms to help surface suspected podcasts, such as monitoring shows with heavy activity or recently published episodes.

And I think what catches Apple's attention might not be any kind of separator (like a colon, pipe, or dash), but the length of the title and author tags. That's not to say something long will get kicked, but something long might be more likely to catch Apple's attention, so simply omitting a separator is not adequate protection.

I've seen podcasts kicked that were abusing only one tag, but not both.

What happens if your podcast is rejected?

Maybe you didn't fix your podcast in time, or you want to know what the risk is. Here's what I've observed.

New podcasts: fix and resubmit

If you are submitting a new podcast to Apple through Podcasts Connect and it gets rejected, the best thing to do is clean up your tags, get a new feed URL (even if by simply changing one character or using a service like Podcast Mirror), and then submit that new feed URL.

Because this has the possibility of requiring you to change your feed URL, I recommend submitting to Apple before submitting anywhere else. That way, you'll know you have an acceptable feed and won't have to mess with maintaining multiple URLs or switching other destinations.

Apple may notify you of the rejection, or you may have to log in to Podcasts Connect to check on the status of your submission in order to know that your podcast was rejected.

Existing podcasts: fix and contact Apple

If your show was already in the Apple Podcasts catalog and it got rejected, make the changes in your podcast feed and then contact Apple through Podcasts Connect. Ensure your changes are visible in your feed and tell Apple that you already corrected the issue. Then ask for your podcast to be reinstated with its ratings, rankings, and reviews intact.

The more information you can provide Apple, and the less back-and-forth you initiate, the quicker you can get your podcast restored.

I haven't heard from any podcasters who were notified by Apple that their podcasts were kicked out. You could check for yourself on a regular basis if you're walking that ethical line, or you'll soon be able to use a special tool I'm creating to be notified if there's a problem. Or, simply don't do bad things and then you probably won't have to worry about it!

Will the rejection affect existing subscribers?

This was a big concern of mine and I shared a bunch of in-depth details inside Podcasters' Society. But I'm pleased and relieved to confirm that no, your existing subscribers will not be affected.

This is thanks to the decentralized nature of podcasting. With only a few exceptions (Spotify, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio, and maybe some others), podcast apps will subscribe people directly to a podcast's RSS feed. This is even the case with Apple Podcasts.

I did have a concern over how Apple Podcasts behaves with their mirror URLs (such as https://pcr.apple.com/id[ID_NUMBER]), but through testing, I've confirmed that even if the mirror URL is broken (as happens when Apple removes a podcast from their catalog), your subscribers are still connected directly to your RSS feed.

Thus, even if your podcast is removed from Apple Podcasts (or other podcast apps, with only those few exceptions), your subscribers can continue to access your RSS feed and download your new and past episodes.

There is a warning with this. If you submitted the mirror URL Apple gave you (https://pcr.apple.com/id[ID_NUMBER]) to any other apps or directories, a rejection from Apple will disconnect you from your audience. But this is only if you submitted that mirror URL to other places or linked to it, which I and other podcasting experts have advised against and I doubt many (if any) podcasters have done anyway. We also urge you to subscribe to your own podcast(s) in Apple Podcasts or iTunes and in your preferred podcast app if you use something other than Apple's apps. This will not only confirm for you that your podcast is still available to subscribers, but it also lets you see that your latest episode downloads even when it's not yet visible in Apple's catalog.

Your podcast in other apps

There are many other popular podcast apps (such as Overcast) using the iTunes Search API. This allows those other apps to not have to maintain their own podcast catalog with creator submissions, but to instead search the most popular catalog to which most podcasters have already submitted their shows.

When your podcast is rejected from Apple Podcasts, it also gets removed from the iTunes Search API. This makes your podcast not findable in those other apps, and thus makes it much harder for people to subscribe to your podcast in those same apps. (Any good podcast app will still allow manual subscriptions by pasting a podcast RSS feed URL, but that's a cumbersome process.)

Like Apple Podcasts and iTunes, no longer being findable affects potential new subscribers but not your current audience.

What you need to do NOW

Yes, I think you should make some changes immediately.

1. Don't wait

Please don't wait for Apple's “ban-hammer” to come down on your podcast! You may think your podcast is safe because it's never “at risk” for being a top-200 podcast. You may think it's safe because you removed separator characters from the <title> or <itunes:author> tags. But it really could be any moment that your podcast catches Apple's auditing attention and gets kicked out of Apple Podcasts and iTunes.

2. Clean up your show title

Make your podcast title tag contain only the title. If you host a fan podcast, go ahead and include one title of the object of your fandom, but still keep it as clean as possible. For example, don't make it something like, “ONCE – Unofficial Once Upon a Time fan podcast with theories, reviews, interviews, and your feedback,” make it simple, “ONCE – Unofficial Once Upon a Time podcast.”

3. Clean up your author tag

Who creates, owns, and hosts your podcast? That's what should be in the author tag. There should be only names in there: no titles, no taglines, no keywords. It's okay to have multiple names of regular cohosts, but don't include the names of guests, mentors, or inspirations.

4. Improve your episode titles

Like show-level titles, your episode titles need to be clean and not stuffed with keywords. But episode titles are easier to work with because they can be far more specific and descriptive than a show title can be.

So please don't title your episodes with only bland numbers or dates. Be descriptive and compelling, especially for topics people might be searching for.

And don't try to stuff your episode titles, either! Remove extraneous text that belongs in other places, like the show-level title or repetitive (and thus probably useless) text.

5. Make episodes to cover your keywords

Lastly, if you don't already have episodes about those topics you wanted to stuff in your other podcast tags, start making those episodes now! Like my previous tip, ensure these titles are clear, concise, and compelling.

Following these best practices will help ensure podcast apps don't kick out your show. And these principles help you build a stronger brand, and help make a better experience for your audience!

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/kicked-from-apple-podcasts-what-happens-when-you-keyword-stuff-podcast-tags-tap334/feed/6Apple is cracking down on keyword-stuffing in podcast tags. Here's information from testing and experience to help you protect your podcast!Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher334Kicked from Apple Podcasts? What Happens When You Keyword-Stuff Podcast Tagsclean40:13Personal Update from Danielhttps://theaudacitytopodcast.com/personal-update-from-daniel/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/personal-update-from-daniel/#commentsMon, 18 Jun 2018 17:23:18 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=15003With great pain and heaviness of heart, I share why I disappeared for so long, how you can help, and a new direction I'll be taking The Audacity to Podcast for a while.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/personal-update-from-daniel/feed/1With great pain and heaviness of heart, I share why I disappeared for so long, how you can help, and a new direction I'll be taking The Audacity to Podcast for a while.

A podcast failure doesn't mean you should quit podcasting. Here are 9 steps to help you recover and keep moving forward!

1. Stop complaining

Complaining about what you call a failure is only wasting time. Your complaining won't improve anything, it won't fix the problem, and it won't inspire others. Complaining gives your mistakes more power over you.

When you stop complaining, you can start doing.

2. Define your “failure”

What actually happened that you are calling a “failure”? Try to define and even measure it. Shift away from using the “failure” label and into a descriptive and measurable goal you didn't reach. You should be describing a fact, not an interpreted consequence.

This, alone, may help correct your perspective because you might realize what you called a “failure” was only one small missed goal.

“My cohost is a failure at podcasting” might really be, “My cohost didn't do what I expected.”

“I'm failing at consistency” might really be, “I haven't been publishing episodes on the same days every week.”

As you get more descriptive and measurable in how you define your “failure,” you'll probably realize it was merely one goal you didn't achieve—and maybe only not yet.

3. Take responsibility

Most likely, you're the leader in your podcast. Regardless of how you describe the failure, you need to take responsibility for it.

Don't blame Apple, your cohosts, your audience, the technology, the niche, the competition, or anyone or anything else. Doing so is like handing over your success and control to someone or something else.

This is probably hard to accept: you are responsible for what went wrong. Maybe you didn't work hard enough. Maybe you didn't make pursue excellence. Maybe you didn't do the right things. Maybe you didn't communicate properly. Maybe you didn't have the right expectations.

Yes, mistakes or bad things can happen that are outside your own control. But letting these things wreck your podcast is your responsibility.

This really isn't about what happened, but about how you contributed to it and how you handle it.

4. Understand what went wrong

When you have your “failure” defined and you're taking responsibility, you can seek to understand how things led to what you call a failure.

For example, if your cohost has been a horrible companion for your podcast, look at what kind of expectations you set for them as well as held yourself. Look at how you communicated. You might realize your cohost never knew what you expected of them, or maybe you never reinforced it.

Most importantly, when you know what broke, you'll know what you need to fix.

You may have even already had a plan, but maybe you didn't follow it—either because you chose not to, or you were unable to.

5. Make a new plan

Recovering from any level of failure requires a strategy. You have to know what you'll stop doing, what you'll change, or what you'll start doing. This means making a new plan (because, obviously, your old plan either didn't work or wasn't followed.)

You must clearly communicate this plan to everyone else involved.

Ensure your new plan doesn't have the same problems as your old plan so you won't be making the same mistakes.

6. Remove, repair, or replace the broken parts

This far into the process of recovering from a failed podcast, you probably recognize what's not working for your podcast. It could hardware, software, workflow, perspective, people, content, and more.

With each problem area, you can do one of three things:

Remove it—This may give you more time, money, or other resources to invest elsewhere in your podcast.

Repair it—This allows you to keep things you want, but make them perform better.

Replace it—You might not be able to repair something, and removing it would leave a horrible void. In such cases, you could replace it with something better.

7. Rebrand or relaunch

When you're ready to move forward with your show you have three choices:

Rebrand when it's a fresh take on the same topic for the same audience. This is a great time to adjust your visual and audio branding, too.

Relaunch with a new podcast when it's a new show for a similar or different audience.

8. Build anticipation in your audience

Whether you feel you need to rebrand your existing show or launch a new one, let your existing audience know what's coming. Instead of apologizing for change, get them excited about the new direction! Make sure you also include simple instructions for what they need to do to get the new show.

If you're rebranding, ask them to stay subscribed so they'll receive the new episodes, but to expect the title and cover art to change (if true).

If you're relaunching, ask them to visit the new podcast's website where they can learn more and subscribe.

9. “Keep moving forward”

In the Disney movie Meet the Robinsons, a boy's invention fails on its first try. But that small failure is celebrated with the line, “Keep moving forward.”

I think a failure is truly a failure only if we let it beat us and we quit there.

Make the necessary adjustments in your podcasting and keep podcasting forward!

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Logo17, from the USA, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “Absolute Gem. Daniel has an angelic voice. His free podcast has been an INCREDIBLE resource for helping me with my own Podcast. I’m so so thrilled I found this when I did.”

Charone, from the USA and host of Habeas Humor, (hay-be-us) wrote in Apple Podcasts, “A must-subscribe. I recently discovered TATP, and I became a big fan after hearing just a few episodes. There is great information here. For example, one of the recent episodes gives a list of things you should check for with your RSS feed. Before listening to this, I barely knew what an RSS feed was. I also had no idea that a show can make it into Apple's new and noteworthy if it is not new. (I thought both labels had to apply.) This show offers both advice and encouragement to podcasters. Plus, with hundreds of episodes in the archive, you can just browse for the topics you are most interested in. Take advantage of this resource!”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
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Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-recover-from-a-failed-podcast-tap333/feed/2A podcast failure doesn't mean you should quit podcasting. Here are 9 steps to help you recover and keep moving forward!Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher333How to Recover from a Failed Podcastclean17:38Why You Should NOT Publish Audio Podcasts on YouTube – TAP332https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-you-should-not-publish-audio-podcasts-on-youtube-tap332/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-you-should-not-publish-audio-podcasts-on-youtube-tap332/#commentsTue, 21 Nov 2017 13:00:25 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=14660

Many podcasting tools offer the ability to automatically crosspost your audio podcast to YouTube. Here are eleven reasons I think you shouldn't do that.

I often use the term “fake video” to describe what some podcasters make. It's when they take the whole audio of their episode, put it into a video file, and display a simple image (static or sometimes moving). It's essentially audio with pixel dimensions.

I think the short, animated videos commonly called “audiograms” are entirely separate and beneficial. My following thoughts address the “fake video” approach.

1. The supporting reasons are mostly misunderstood and short-term

I usually hear four reasons to publish fake video on YouTube:

To make your content discoverable on Google and YouTube—Maybe true, at first, but it will soon be demoted.

It reaches a non-podcast audience—True, but it's reaching them so ineffectively, you might not see any positive results.

“It can't hurt”—Actually, it can hurt, as you'll understand from the following points.

2. It's abusing the platform

YouTube is a video platform. It's designed for videos. When people search or browse YouTube, they expect to watch videos. Posting fake video goes against the simple premise of video.

If someone writes a long blog post, takes a screenshot, and shares that image on Instagram, we would consider that abusing the platform.

If someone makes a blank image and uploads to Instagram only so they can write a long blog post, we would consider that abusing the platform.

If someone releases a series of silent podcast episodes only so they can put out the titles in podcast apps, we would consider that abusing the platform.

And if someone publishes only audio, but no video, on a video-based platform, we should also consider that abusing the platform.

This is not an effective technique for sharing content appropriate to the platform. This is more like a blackhat hack with a bait and switch.

3. The “view” stats are meaningless

If you publish fake video, or you see other fake videos, you may initially think it's a success because of the view counts. But like “downloads per time,” view counts don't tell the whole story and are a meaningless stat.

Social networks count something as a “view” after different amounts of time. YouTube seems to have a 30-second threshold. So someone could watch a video for only 30 seconds, and it would be counted as a view. But if your video is as short as a few minutes or much longer, only 30 seconds is meaningless to actual consumption.

Think of it as a local store. The way YouTube and other social networks work, they would count you as a customer every time you drive by and look at the store. But were you really a customer if you didn't at least go inside?

Contrast that with the nature of podcast downloads and consumption. This is more like counting everyone who entered the store. True, maybe not everyone stays in for long or even buys anything at all, but they were still a customer by entering and behaving like a customer.

I've seen data on some fake videos that seemed highly successful: as many as nearly 23,000 views on one video! But the real truth is in the retention stats.

Only a 3.4% average view duration. 90% of the initially 23,000 viewers were gone within 90 seconds!

All data I've seen, from multiple sources, show that most fake videos lose 90–95% of the audience within only 90 seconds! Interestingly, this does seem to differ among countries. But that makes sense, considering that podcast consumption is not as popular or possible in some other countries.

You might think that later videos, which averaged about 200 views, had filtered down to loyal fake-video consumers. Retention rates were, indeed, better. This time, it took only about 4 minutes for 85–90% of the “loyal” audience to abandon the videos!

Retention stats on a later video with 175 views.

The resulting audience who did stay to consume the majority of the video ended up being only 6–8% of the view count. Thus, only about 16 people benefitted from the video. That's 16 out of an initial audience of nearly 23,000!

4. Engagement rates are horrible

If you dismiss the meaningless view counts, you must measure other forms of engagement: retention, likes, comments, subscriptions, clickthroughs, and shares are common metrics on YouTube.

Fake videos show horrible engagement in all these metrics. I've seen videos with more than 20,000 “views” receive only a few likes, subscriptions, and no comments. This shouldn't be surprising when you consider that almost all the audience is gone within a few minutes. But even of the small number of remaining viewers, they still don't engage with the fake video.

Comment, like, and dislike engagement rates are almost nonexistent compared to the supposed view counts.

5. Your channel's and videos' rankings will be demoted

The top reason I hear people advocate for fake videos is that they make the content show up in search rankings. That may be true at first, but it doesn't last. Furthermore, the consequences can prevent future videos from ever ranking.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, uses several factors to measure a video's popularity and thus rank it in search results. They use all those same engagement metrics:

Retention—if most people quickly abandon the video, it's probably not worth ranking

Likes and comments—if no one is interacting with the video comments, it's probably not worth ranking

Subscriptions—if no one is subscribing to the channel as a result of the video, it's probably not worth ranking

Clickthroughs—if no one is clicking through to other videos and staying engaged on YouTube, the video is probably not worth ranking

Fake videos perform notoriously low on all these metrics. Consequently, Google's algorithms will consider the video a waste and demote it in the rankings. After all, if almost everyone else doesn't like it, why would they recommend it to others?

Could you imagine my recommending a doctor by saying, “No one ever sees him, and he's not a very good doctor anyway”?

6. YouTube doesn't like your making people leave

Google wants people to stay on YouTube. It's easy to waste hours and hours on YouTube because it was designed with exactly the scientifically proven tactics to get you to stay! Even when I was preparing this episode, I got sucked into watching video after video (real videos!).

YouTube won't like it when you make people leave YouTube, either by closing the browser tab or by following a link that takes them away from YouTube. Such links might be to your website or your podcast in a podcast app. They'll either demote your video or sometimes even find other ways you might be violating their community guidelines.

7. Content ID gives content owners control over your videos

When you upload a video with any copyrighted material (regardless of your use), YouTube's advanced bots will recognize and flag it with Content ID. The copyright-holder can then control many things about your video:

Keep your monetization (or share it, if they're generous)

Block the video from some countries or worldwide

Block the video from certain platforms (such as mobile or embedded)

Mute the video

I've seen many legitimate videos get flagged by Content ID, such as a movie-review podcast that comments on and plays a portion of the movie or soundtrack.

8. Copyright strikes are aggressive

In extreme cases, your videos could give your channel a copyright strike. This usually means the video will be removed and you'll carry a strike on your account, which might limit features (such as monetization or live-streaming). Further abuses will usually result in a complete closure of your account.

9. Monetization may be limited

YouTube is a monetized platform. They don't really like it when you monetize your own content without letting them have a piece of it. Podcast sponsorships, promoting your own products, and affiliate links can be in this gray area. YouTube has already cracked down on this kind of monetization when a product or logo is displayed as a paid advertisement.

Regardless of how you monetize your own podcast, YouTube can decide to ban it from YouTube at any time if they decide it's not in compliance with their standards.

10. YouTube may flag your fake videos as spam

Most fake videos look the same. Usually, that's simply the cover art. Sometimes, it contains “buttons” or calls to action.

When YouTube sees multiple videos being uploaded regularly and they all look the same, their algorithms have often flagged this as spam. But I'm not surprised because it really does look like spam!

Video, channel, and comment spam

It's not okay to post large amounts of untargeted, unwanted, or repetitive content in videos, comments, private messages, or other places on the site. If the main purpose of your content is to drive people off of YouTube and onto another site, it will likely violate our spam policies.

It's not okay to post large amounts of repetitive and/or re-uploaded videos to your channel. If the main purpose of your channel is to monetize other channels' content, it will likely violate our spam policies. If you believe your copyright-protected work was posted on YouTube without authorization, you may submit a copyright infringement notification.

11. It makes your channel the little boy who cried, “WOLF!”

Each time you publish audio on a video platform, it's misleading your potential audience. As more and more of your fake videos show up in search results, they'll learn to not trust your channel. It's like the boy who cried, “WOLF!”

I've seen this with some experimental channels. With each fake video released, the view counts and retention get worse and worse. Then, the ranking starts to fall because of all the other metrics.

Absolute view counts of the first 15 audio episodes published on YouTube show significant dropoff after the initial attention

So if you ever want to do a real video on your video channel, publishing fake videos will have demoted your channel so much that your real video may never receive attention.

Conclusion: Publish fake videos if you don't actually care

If you really don't care about the YouTube platform and don't care much about its users, then go ahead and publish fake videos. But keep in mind the potential consequences, costs, and extremely low return on your investment (time, skill, or money).

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

nabus19, from the USA and host of The Redrum Theatre, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “High Five Brother. I love podcasts, and have enjoyed them as a media for 10 years now. Recently I began my own, and I was looking for some wisdom in doing this well. Of all the How-To podcasts I listened to, this is the only one to survive. Great topics, current issues of podcasting, and real knowledge from a professional podcaster. I especially love when he used to review a podcast and give some helpful tips. Bring it back brother! My podcast is called The Redrum Theatre, … We watch movies, we love movies, we were raised by movies.”

Covert Nerd, from the USA and host of Covert Nerd podcast, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “… Because of you I have stepped out and started a hobby podcast. Right now it isn't that good, but because of you I got the courage to at least start. I am sure many others have done the same thing because of your work. I would encourage other like you do to just start your podcast and you can work out the details as you go. …” Read the full review.

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-you-should-not-publish-audio-podcasts-on-youtube-tap332/feed/26Many podcasting tools offer the ability to automatically crosspost your audio podcast to YouTube. Here are eleven reasons I think you shouldn't do that.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher332Why You Should NOT Publish Audio Podcasts on YouTubeclean39:53How to Work with Other Podcasters – TAP331https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-work-with-other-podcasters-tap331/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-work-with-other-podcasters-tap331/#commentsTue, 14 Nov 2017 13:00:58 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=14623

Working with other podcasters can be energizing, but it can also feed your inner troll. Here's how you can build friendships instead of enemies in podcasting.

Respect

One of the first times I met Dan Miller, author of 48 Days to the Work You Love, he told me of his then-upcoming 48th wedding anniversary. So I asked him what he considered the secret to his long and happy marriage. He said, “One word: respect.”

Oh, how much better our world would be if we had respect—and even love—for one another! Insulting someone's intelligence or attacking their preferences won't help anyone. We must have a heart of respect for each other, and that can go very far.

Treat each person individually

If you hang out in online communities for long, you'll see the same questions asked several times. While you probably don't mean to, it's easy to pile up your feelings about the repetition of those questions. So when you see the thirtieth person ask the same question, it's may be easy to lash out either overtly or passively.

But look at things from that person's perspective. They need help and they went to that community hoping they could get the help they needed. True, they probably could have found the solution by searching, but being in anxious need often seems to distract us from the obvious.

Consider a community for podcasters. If someone comes in and asks, “How do I upload my podcast to iTunes?” and they get a flurry of harsh responses, that person may see them as saying, “You're stupid.” And then be hurt from their experience.

I must honestly call myself out on this one, too. I don't think we do this kind of thing intentionally. But treat each person individually—again, with respect.

Accept different methodologies

Blubrry, Libsyn, SoundCloud, Anchor, Podcast Websites, SquareSpace, FeedBurner, WordPress, and much more are merely tools to accomplish certain goals within podcasting. While some tools are certainly better for certain tasks than others, that doesn't mean we must try to convert everyone to that tool.

I once met a fresh new podcaster at an event. They had just started their podcast and website, and they met a vendor with a competing product to what they used. Instead of helping that podcaster understand the benefits of the competing product, that vendor came across as belittling to that podcaster, and a poor opinion was formed. Sadly, I've actually seen that happen many times, and I might have even done it myself a couple times.

We don't need to act so exclusive about how to podcast. It's not a moral issue; there's no single right way to podcast—and that's what makes podcasting wonderful!

Choose positivity

Who are you going to be among other podcasters? Will you be the self-promoter? The giver? The passive-aggressive troll? The encourager?

We can choose and control the attitudes we communicate. It can be a real challenge, sometimes, but that's what makes us stronger.

Exchange value

In a thriving community or marketplace, there's an active exchange of value. Some people deliver products, some offer services, some offer payments. Look at podcasting the same way.

This doesn't mean we should all be each others' financial patrons. (If we're each giving each other $5, the service providers get to keep a little off the top, and we lose that little bit of money with each exchange.) Instead, exchange value. That could mean offering some help, being an evangelist, or participating in the community. These and more have actual value—tangible or intangible.

There may be times you buy something from a podcaster and they buy something from you. But in that process, you're still exchanging value outside of the money. For example, I pay to be a member of Mike Morrison and Callie Willow's Member Site Academy, and Mike pays to be a customer of My Podcast Reviews. This isn't any kind of unfair or ungrateful exchange, it's a respectful acknowledgment and exchange of value.

Looking for a place to grow with other podcasters?

If you're ready to improve and grow your podcast, connect with other passionate and encouraging podcasters, and get the training you need to overcome the challenges of podcasting, then Podcasters' Society is the best place for you! We offer expert support, encouraging community, and in-depth training.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

gopstud, from the USA, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “I listened to this wonderfully informative podcast about listening to podcasts on iOS 11 on iOS 11. This review is proof of the new simplicity of user interactivity of the Apple Podcasts app. I’m from Clinton, Iowa and I will be a podcaster someday. This show keeps inspiring me to do so!”

Joe Lamp'l, from the USA and host of The joe gardener Show, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “Best Podcasting Resource of All Time. I've been listening to Daniel's incredibly helpful podcasts for about a year. Not surprising, the audio quality is perfect. That alone should get the attention of would-be podcasters. This guy knows the technical side to everything we need to know to make a great podcast too. The beauty is, Daniel is so skilled in simplifying the tech details and is completely prepared with every episode he delivers. The information is priceless and presented in a clear and concise manner. I love the delivery and format he's developed over the years. Thank you, Daniel, for all you do. The podcasts, videos, and training you offer are the best! …”

Tony Chan, from the USA and host of Game Dev Loadout, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “Thanks, Daniel, for all of the awesome tips. My podcast just turned three months today, whoop whoop! My download numbers were okay in the beginning but when I implemented your SEO tips and advice on giving back to my audience, my numbers slowly started to rise. People have been sending me thank-you messages which are really heartwarming and fuel my drive to make the podcast even better. Honestly, I notice that a lot of game developer podcasts don't last long, and so I was worried that mine would be the same. You motivated me to keep going and realize that I need to be patient. …”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-work-with-other-podcasters-tap331/feed/4Working with other podcasters can be energizing, but it can also feed your inner troll. Here's how you can build friendships instead of enemies in podcasting.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher331How to Work with Other Podcastersclean26:25Why Feed Hits and Monthly Downloads are Meaningless Podcast Stats – TAP330https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-feed-hits-and-monthly-downloads-are-meaningless-podcast-stats-tap330/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-feed-hits-and-monthly-downloads-are-meaningless-podcast-stats-tap330/#commentsTue, 07 Nov 2017 13:00:49 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=14588

Feed hits and monthly downloads are two podcast stats the may confuse or mislead podcasters. Here's why you should never rely on these meaningless numbers.

Why feed hits are a meaningless stat

Every time a podcast app check for new episodes, it's checking for updated information from your RSS feed. That counts as a feed hit each time.

Tools like FeedBurner, FeedBlitz, and some startup podcast hosting companies may offer stats on how many times your feed is loaded.

But such a stat doesn't tell you the true size of your audience, for the following six reasons.

1. There is no measurement standard

Unlike the industry standard we have for measuring podcast downloads, there is no association setting a standard or guideline for measuring feed hits.

For example, should only full downloads of the feed be counted, or should head requests (probably checking the “Last-Modified” date) be counted, too?

2. Apps refresh feeds throughout the day

Whereas a podcast episode is usually downloaded only once, a podcast RSS feed will be loaded multiple times. Some apps refresh the feed every hour. Some apps refresh even more frequently than that!

This then requires more filtering to reduce the excessive duplication by IP address.

3. There's no way to track a single device across multiple IP addresses

Speaking of IP addresses, most mobile devices will probably have at least three different IP addresses in an average day: one for home, one for work, and one for mobile. But there could be even more if your mobile device automatically connects to additional wifi networks (such as a store, a coffee shop, a friends house, etc.). And if you leave a particular region, it's likely your mobile data provider will give your device a new IP address as the location changes.

For media downloads, this kind of IP address behavior can be accounted for with some different filtering and crossreferencing. Even at the simplest level of measurement, podcast apps will download an episode only once unless the user forces it to redownload.

But since mobile devices refresh the feeds throughout the day and their IP addresses change as their location changes, a single device could show up as multiple devices based on RSS feed hits.

4. Feed traffic varies every day

Podcast RSS feeds are only checked based on app settings and user interaction. This usually results in lower activity on the weekends. Measuring RSS feed hits would make it seem like your audience unsubscribes on the weekends.

Many website statistics tools, such as Google Analytics, will track a user across multiple visits, so it's easy to see how many unique visits you had across time (such as a week or month). But FeedBurner and other RSS tools don't offer such tracking, and thus report only a daily number or an average across days (but not tied to actual users).

5. Feed stats exclude non-RSS plays

Trying to measure “subscribers” raises the question, what really is a “subscriber”? While it may seem reasonable to say anyone who has pressed “Subscribe” on your podcast is a subscriber, that excludes many loyal audience members.

Some people will faithfully visit your website and press play on your latest episodes. Some people will watch or listen on social networks. Some people will add your podcast to their app without actually subscribing to it. Some people use apps or services that subscribe to your feed only once for thousands of users (such as Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or Google Play Music).

People on those platforms could still be loyal consumers of your podcast, but they're not individually subscribed to your own RSS feed. Thus, anything that tracks you audience through RSS hits or downloads will not count any of these other loyal fans.

6. iOS 11 refreshes feeds repeatedly (possible bug)

Lastly, Apple Podcasts in iOS 11 introduced some strange new behavior regarding podcast RSS feeds. This is resulting in a significant increase is feed hits since iOS 11.

A significant increase in feed hits started with the release of iOS 11 on September 19, 2017. (Weekend dips removed for clarity.)

While there are different theories to explain this, we do not yet know whether this is an intentional design by Apple or a bug in the app. But we can compare these daily feed hits to daily downloads and see this increase is not an actual increase in audience.

Why downloads per month/week/day is a meaningless stat

You'll often see podcasters speak highly of their downloads per week, per month, or per day. While some numbers can be fun to celebrate (my own Noodle Mix Network reached 15 million total downloads in Fall 2017), these “downloads per time” (DPT) don't really mean much; they don't tell you any truth about the size of the audience!

Here's why.

1. It's not enough information

Downloads per time tell us nothing about the podcast's actual reach. It doesn't tell us how many episodes were published, how many episodes were already available, how many people downloaded episodes, or how many episodes people downloaded.

Downloads per time would include downloads for new episodes released during that time and all old episodes also downloaded during the same time.

For example, if I say I delivered 10,000 downloads in a month, that may sound impressive until you learn that I published 10 episodes that month and I have 1,000 episodes in my back catalog.

But even with that information, you still can't calculate the audience size, because these numbers don't tell you how many people downloaded your episodes.

It seems most podcasters like to share this meaningless number because it's an impressive number or they don't understand the lack of information.

2. It will always be changing

You may think downloads per time will grow with your podcast, but that's not the case. Downloads per day, for example, will always be highest the day you release your latest episode unless you publish late in the day. Weekends will be low for some shows and high for others.

Downloads per week or per month will also change based on how many episodes you published or skipped during that time. Trying to account for these constant changes could drive you crazy!

4. It's misleading to advertisers

Absolutely don't use your misleading downloads per time stat to entice a sponsor! They may expect their ad to receive that same reach, but because of these reasons I just shared with you, your actual reach could be a much, much smaller portion of that impressive number.

This is because most advertising will be put into only specific episodes. There are some dynamic ad-insertion technologies that can put an ad into every episode in your entire catalog, but setting that up can be complicated, especially if you didn't prepare for it with all of those episodes. Plus, dynamic ad-insertion can feel even more disruptive to your audience.

How should you measure your audience?

The industry standard we've had for years is downloads per episode (DPE), typically 30 days after release.

But raw download logs are still not accurate. That's why Association of Downloadable Media (ADM) many years ago and Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) more recently have created podcast measurement guidelines. These account for things like partial downloads, bots, public IP addresses, user-agent filtering, repeat downloads, and much more.

Blubrry, Libsyn, Podtrac, and soon Spreaker, contributed data to and are in compliance with these agreed-upon industry standards. That's why you hear these companies recommended by professionals—we know we can trust these companies to uphold the standard and conform where necessary all in the interest of accurate measurement, not impressive data.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Tony Arsenal, from the USA and cohost of Reformed Brotherhood, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “Great for both new and seasoned podcasters. When I started my podcast, the Reformed Brotherhood, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I stumbled through it like a blind man. After about 40 episodes I discovered The Audacity to Podcast and it was an eye-opener. Daniel helped me understand what I had done right, and what I had done wrong. My podcast is demonstrably more successful than it would have been otherwise.”

Kit Parks, from the USA and host of Active Travel Adventures, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “Helped me to launch! I've only been on the air for a week and Daniel's The Audacity to Podcast has been a lifesaver! He gives clear, actionable advice on how to do the best job possible on your podcast with the least amount of headaches. I highly recommend subscribing and then going back and reviewing his show notes afterward so you can put into place his recommendations.”

Gloria Mitchell, from the USA and host of Living a Phenomenal Life with Gloria Mitchell, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “The best podcast on podcasting! Daniel provides INCREDIBLE value every week! He is always up on the latest in the podcasting world and always offers tips to help you make your podcast better. As a result of listening to his show, I was able to launch my podcast with confidence! Daniel, Thanks for always putting out great episodes! …”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-feed-hits-and-monthly-downloads-are-meaningless-podcast-stats-tap330/feed/5Feed hits and monthly downloads are two podcast stats the may confuse or mislead podcasters. Here's why you should never rely on these meaningless numbers.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher330Why Feed Hits and Monthly Downloads are Meaningless Podcast Statsclean37:26Journey inside the podcasting business with this new daily podcasthttps://theaudacitytopodcast.com/journey-inside-the-podcasting-business-with-this-new-daily-podcast/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/journey-inside-the-podcasting-business-with-this-new-daily-podcast/#commentsFri, 03 Nov 2017 14:25:05 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=14612November is National Podcast Post Month (#NaPodPoMo) and I decided to participate by not only publishing a daily podcast episode, but launching a whole new show!

Journey inside the podcasting business with me, Daniel J. Lewis, host of The Audacity to Podcast. I'll share behind-the-scenes peeks at how I run my podcasting business of helping podcasters. You'll learn about the tools I use, how I delegate and work with others, how I market, and more!

This show will run every day during NaPodPoMo, but may even continue after that.

The show is so new, raw, and authentic it doesn't even have cover art yet!

Despite all the ways Anchor is currently bad for podcasting, I chose to use Anchor for the quick simplicity.

Comment below or tweet me if there's something specific you'd like to know about running a podcasting business!

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/journey-inside-the-podcasting-business-with-this-new-daily-podcast/feed/9Inside the Podcasting Business gives you a behind-the-scenes perspective on the decision, strategies, tools, and more in a business built from a podcast.National Podcast Post Month (#NaPodPoMo) and I decided to participate by not only publishing a daily podcast episode, but launching a whole new show!
Journey inside the podcasting business with me, Daniel J. Lewis, host of The Audacity to Podcast. I'll share behind-the-scenes peeks at how I run my podcasting business of helping podcasters. You'll learn about the tools I use, how I delegate and work with others, how I market, and more!
This show will run every day during NaPodPoMo, but may even continue after that.
The show is so new, raw, and authentic it doesn't even have cover art yet!
Despite all the ways Anchor is currently bad for podcasting, I chose to use Anchor for the quick simplicity.
Comment below or tweet me if there's something specific you'd like to know about running a podcasting business!

A podcast launch can be fun and jumpstart momentum for growth. Starting your podcasting with multiple episodes is often advised, but is it right for you?

Don't believe the myths about launching with multiple episodes

You may hear some “gurus” and “marketing experts” say you must launch with multiple episodes in order for your podcast to succeed. But that's a big myth that shows up in three different ways:

Myth: More episodes help the podcast get featured in “New & Noteworthy”

“New & Noteworthy” (N&N) is a combination of two kinds of podcasts: those that are new, and those that are noteworthy. Apple has 100% editorial control over what appears in N&N. If you actually look closely at podcasts in there, you'll see old and new podcasts, and you'll see some podcasts with only one episode, others with more.

Myth: More episodes make the podcast rank better

Podcast ranking is based on subscriptions, not episodes. However, there is a very small, indirect truth to this myth. More episodes provide more keywords for search, which can make your podcast show up in more relevant searches when you have more episodes, but your position in such results is not based on the number of episodes.

Myth: More episodes mean more downloads

The default behavior of most podcast apps is to download only the latest episode of a podcast when subscribed. So merely launching with more episodes doesn't mean they'll all be downloaded; they'll only be available to be downloaded if your new subscriber chooses to do so.

How many episodes should you launch with?

One episode is all that's required to get your podcast in nearly all apps and directories. And it doesn't even have to be a full episode!

With iOS 11, Apple now provides a “trailer” episode type you can use. But even without that, your first episode could be a 30–60-second trailer of the podcast yet to come.

This is not an “episode 0.” Most of these end up being all about the podcaster and what's to come. I think these kinds of self-centered episodes are a waste of opportunity and time. If you want to build excitement for the upcoming podcast, do that in 30–60 seconds. But make your first episode deliver so much value your audience will feel compelled to subscribe.

So when I'm referring to launching with multiple episodes, how many should that be?

I will be basing the following benefits and disadvantages on launching with 3–5 episodes. I think that's a good number because it's small enough that can do it quickly but large enough that it gives your audience a great taste of your podcast and gives you more opportunities.

However, my advice does exclude the “seasonal dump” approach of publishing an entire season of episodes all at once (such as S-Town, ConversionCast, and some Netflix or Amazon Prime shows).

Benefits of launching with multiple episodes

The decision of launching with only one or with multiple episodes is up to you. I will share benefits and disadvantages I see, but the mere number of one or the other shouldn't be your deciding factor. You must decide what's right for yourself, your podcast, and your audience.

1. Showcases more of your content

Assuming you have good episode titles, launching with multiple episodes gives potential subscribers a good view of what your podcast is about. They can preview your topics without having to read your podcast's description.

2. Boosts search-engine optimization (SEO)

In Apple Podcasts, some other podcast apps, and website search engines, each episode and accompanying post contribute to the findability of that podcast. For example, even if your podcast title or description don't include “Best vanilla cream sodas,” an episode by that title can make your podcast or website appear in relevant searches.

Thus, the more episodes you launch with (and eventually hold in your RSS feed), the more opportunities your podcast can be discovered!

3. Demonstrates commitment to consistency

“Podfade” is the probable unintentional consequence of inconsistency. It's when a podcast slowly fades from active status because episodes are no longer published and there was no official announcement about the podcast's future.

According to Blubrry's year over year statistics, most podcasts podfade within 7 episodes. I've seen the same thing in casual browsing, plus, they usually had an inconsistent publishing schedule.

That doesn't mean you must launch with 7 episodes. But if you're committed to your podcast, you can show that by launching with multiple episodes.

When you do this, backdate your episodes so they reflect the publishing schedule you want to have. WordPress with PowerPress, Libsyn, PodBean, and other good publishing platforms give you the ability to change the date on already-published content.

4. Sets expectations

When you market and write the description for your podcast, you're making a kind of promise with your audience. You're promising to provide certain content, to promote certain results, with certain perspectives, and on a certain schedule.

Launching with multiple episodes helps set those expectations for your quality, uniqueness, consistency, and more.

5. “Hooks” your audience

People often like to binge on what they like. Launching your podcast with multiple episodes not only gives them that opportunity to binge on your new show, but it also gives them a deeper taste of your content. That can result in their getting hooked more easily.

Unfortunately, there's a fine line between marketing and drug-dealing. But the point of marketing should be to give people what they need to improve their lives! That said, consider addictive substances for a moment. Most people don't get hooked with a tiny taste; it takes a bigger sampling.

You can often see this in TV shows, too. One episode may not be enough, but after you watch a few episodes, you probably get more wrapped up in the characters and plot.

I've felt this way about several podcasts myself.

6. Creates more engagement opportunities

Each episode of your podcast can create engagement. Launching with multiple episodes multiplies those opportunities. Things like your website address, email address, phone number, or social accounts will be more memorable when they're heard multiple times, especially if in a short amount of time.

7. “Blitzes” your promotion

There are many ways to promote your podcast to grow your audience. If your episodes can stand alone, launching with multiple episodes gives you that many more pieces of content you can use to promote and grow your podcast.

8. Builds trust, respect, and authority faster

Consistency is one of the most important ways to build trust, respect, and authority, but that takes time. You can give yourself extra momentum in the beginning by launching with multiple episodes. This allows your audience to receive a larger sample of your passion, communication skill, and production quality.

Each episode is a little boost to your reputation, so launching with multiple episodes can give a jumpstart.

Disadvantages of launching with multiple episodes

There are plenty of positives, but also some negatives. Don't let this be a mere numbers comparison, but figure out what applies to your situation.

1. Increases startup “costs”

Each additional episode you include in your launch increases the “costs” by almost a whole factor. That cost could be in time, creativity, or even actual financial investment.

The profound truth is that launching with 3–5 episodes “costs” about 3–5 times as much as launching with only 1 episode.

It's like launching a business with 10 employees versus only 1.

You must consider whether the increase in startup “costs” is worth it.

2. Postpones the launch

Because launching with multiple episodes costs more time, that time will most likely mean your podcast will have to launch later.

This happened to me with the launch of my Once Upon a Time podcast. I was so focused on launching with multiple episodes, that we didn't actually launch until right before the show went on a hiatus!

But before you think a botched launch means the failure of a show, we were still able to grow our podcast to the #1 unofficial podcast for that TV show.

Remember that your podcast—no matter the subject—has the potential to positively change lives. So do you really want to postpone that change so you can launch with more than one episode?

3. Reduces agility

Unless you have massive skill and resources at your disposal, your first one or several episodes will probably not be as good as later episodes. You can improve as you go!

Your audience's feedback is crucial to helping you improve your podcast. So if you launch your podcast with multiple episodes and your audience points out something that needs to be improved, you won't be able to improve it as quickly. It could be several episodes before the changes make their way into your podcast. And in the meantime, your show's shortcomings could be turning away potential subscribers.

But if you can have a more agile workflow—that is, able to quickly change as necessary—you can make important improvements before the next episode, and your audience can enjoy the fix right away.

4. Delays audience involvement

Getting your audience engaged and even involved with your podcast is key to turning them into ambassadors. If you involve your audience in any way, launching with multiple episodes means they won't be included for a while, depending on how quickly they listen to your episodes.

This is especially apparent if you're asking for audience participation. You'll sound lonely and unappreciated if you're asking for several episodes before you have anything to share.

5. May hurt your timeliness

If your podcast covers any kind of current events, such as news or sports, trying to launch with multiple episodes is almost pointless because your older episodes will probably be irrelevant. This only partially applies to podcasts about TV shows and such, because true fans will probably be interested to hear older episodes anyway. However, those older episodes may sound stupid considering the knowledge you and the other fans may have by the time you launch.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Rosie:82, from the USA and host of On Deadline, wrote in Apple Podcasts. “Love it. This podcast is clear and easy to follow with the right mix of practical knowledge and personality. I’m a television reporter at ABC27 News in Harrisburg, and we launched a podcast called On Deadline almost one year ago. At first, it was difficult because we didn’t have any other comparable podcasts to follow as a model. But discovering your podcast allowed us to set concrete goals and develop strategies to get us there. The media landscape is changing, and it surprises me that more news organizations aren’t branching into podcasting. By the way, I especially like your episode about fixing interviewing problems; great insight for journalists, regardless of podcasting experience. Thank you for developing this resource!”

Austin Carroll, from the USA and host of Fastpass to the Past: The Theme Park History Podcast, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “A Podcast for Podcasters. Thank you, Daniel, for encouraging me to start my own podcast. Your episodes are so in depth and I am so glad I found your podcast. I even went back and found older episodes that walked me through my specific needs: SEO, Podcast Titles, etc. This podcast is a must listen to for even the most seasoned podcasters. …”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/should-you-launch-a-podcast-with-multiple-episodes-tap329/feed/2A podcast launch can be fun and jumpstart momentum for growth. Starting your podcasting with multiple episodes is often advised, but is it right for you?Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher329Should You Launch a Podcast with Multiple Episodes?clean38:268 Things to Check with Your Media Host’s Podcast RSS Feed – TAP328https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/8-things-to-check-with-your-media-hosts-podcast-rss-feed-tap328/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/8-things-to-check-with-your-media-hosts-podcast-rss-feed-tap328/#respondTue, 24 Oct 2017 12:00:28 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=14531

Regardless of who you use to host your podcast media and generate your podcast RSS feed, check these eight things to own your platform.

Subscribe to your podcast in the app and you may have an option to copy or see the feed URL. (In iTunes, right-click your podcast in your subscriptions and click “Copy Podcast URL.”)

Subscribe to your podcast in the app, export your subscriptions to an OPML file, open that file in a text-editor, look for your podcast name and the feed URL after xmlUrl= in the same block.

Feed URL changes from redirects or the <itunes:new-feed-url> tag may take up to a couple days to be reflected in podcast apps and catalogs.

2. Check who controls the Apple Podcasts Connect account

Without control of your podcast in Apple Podcast Connect, you won't be able to fix Apple compliance issues, you won't be able to refresh your catalog listing, and you won't be able to see your podcast analytics from Apple.

Most likely, this isn't a concern for you because no good podcast host submits their clients' podcasts to Apple. If a company does do this, then they're not a good podcast host!

Apple is in the slow process of verifying and moving podcasts between Apple IDs (or assigning them where missing). So please be patient with their team. I suggest waiting until the second quarter of 2018 before you contact Apple to change or add your Apple ID.

3. Check whether you can redirect the RSS feed

Although we can debate the finely detailed definition of “owning” and “controlling” your podcast RSS feed, I think the most important requirement is the ability to redirect your feed to somewhere else. This level of control ensures you can move your podcast feed to anything else and take your audience with you.

4. Check that your email address is in the feed

Even if you don't control the Apple ID used to submit your podcast to Apple, it's easy to verify ownership and stay informed about issues with your podcast when your email address is in the RSS feed.

There are two places an email address appears in a podcast feed:

The <itunes:email> tag inside the <itunes:owner> block—This is the most important.

The <managingEditor> tag—this is less important, but still best to be your email address.

The email address itself isn't important, but it is publicly accessible, so you should probably make it something branded to your podcast and not your personal email address. But that you have access to that account is important.

Some podcast hosting companies will default to using their own email address. I consider that a sin, but many companies (even SoundCloud) will let you change that to your own email address.

But if a company puts their email address in <itunes:email> and they don't let you change it, leave now!

5. Check that the website URL points to your website

RSS feeds contain simple <link> tags that point to web pages. The top <link> tag (before the <item> tags) should point to your website for your podcast. I recommend inserting the URL to your podcast-specific page if your podcast is not the primary purpose of your website.

Most podcast media hosts will default to inserting their URL for your web page on their platform, but you can usually change it to your own website.

Many podcast apps and directories will link to this URL in their catalog listing for your podcast. In iTunes and Apple Podcasts, for example, this is the “Podcast Website” link in your listing.

This is most likely not a problem if you're generating your podcast feed from your website (such as with PowerPress or if you want the podcast host's web page). But you may still need to update the URL if your podcast is not the primary purpose of your website. And you should change this if you're creating your RSS feed separate from your website.

6. Check that episode links point to the correct episode web pages

For a while, there have been concerns over search-engine optimization (SEO) and usability if your episode links pointed to the wrong web pages. Apple Podcasts in iOS 11 made this a whole lot more important because each episode now includes an “Episode web page” link in the app.

This URL usually comes from the <link> tag for each episode (in the <item> tag), but some apps may also look at <guid> if it is a valid permalink URL. However, that tag is usually set to <guid isPermaLink="false">, which is a way of saying that even if the GUID looks like a URL (such as from PowerPress feeds), to not treat it like one.

This is most likely not a problem if you're generating your podcast feed from your website (such as with PowerPress or if you want the podcast host's web page). But you should change this if you're creating your RSS feed separate from your website.

7. Check that you can include HTML in the show notes

Many podcast apps will display the full blog post or show notes with your episodes. That would come from the <content:encoded> tag if your feed includes it. WordPress feeds, for example, have the option to use only the summaries, and not the full content, and thus would not include your full show notes.

Because of this wide support, it's becoming easier to tell your audience to get your show notes from inside their podcast app instead of always sending them to your website. And if you want basic formatting of those notes, including lists and especially hyperlinks, you need the ability to include HTML.

This doesn't mean you have to know any HTML. High-quality platforms like WordPress (with PowerPress) and Libsyn give you a rich text editor that makes hyperlinking as simple as a click of a button on some selected text.

Some platforms, like SoundCloud, strangely support HTML in the content, but they don't let you enter it yourself. But if the content was entered with an API (such as Libsyn's OnPublish), then the HTML and carried through.

Other platforms allow only plain text. But most apps will still hyperlink a plain-text URL as long as it is a full, valid URL (including the http://).

8. Check for full support of the new iTunes tags

Apple's iOS 11 introduced new features in the Apple Podcasts RSS spec. These new features are not mandatory, but implementing them can make your podcast a better experience for your current and potential audience. Plus, it's more likely Apple will feature your podcast if they see you are using their new tags effectively.

Not every podcast needs to have seasons, use the serial type, or include trailer or bonus episodes. But I do think it will make a better experience if all podcasts use the new <itunes:episode> tag for episode numbers and <itunes:title> for clean episode titles (without episode numbers or podcast titles).

These are reasons why I think full support for the new iTunes tags is an absolute requirement for any podcast media host. Blubrry, PowerPress, Libsyn, and Podbean were quite quick to support the new tags. I've also been pleasantly surprised by how many of the less-popular startup hosts had full support in place before iOS 11 was released: Art19, SimpleCast, Megaphone, and Podiant supposedly had full support in time (though I haven't verified).

The companies you hear professionals diminish will probably never offer such support.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Andy Wang, from the USA and host of Inspired Money, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “Found the answers when I needed it. Thanks Daniel for providing so much information and being a fantastic resource to podcasters. Your blog/podcast really came in handy recently when I was up late one night uploading files to Libsyn for the first time. With the help of The Audacity to Podcast, my podcast Inspired Money has been launched. … ” Read the full review.

Scott Albrecht, from the USA and host of Ice Fishing Radio, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “After listening to your podcast my podcast has gone from novice to somewhat not novice, but this is not due to the lack of your explaining things it's due to the slow learning curve. Your advice on missinglettr.com has really boosted my Podcast from my marketing standpoint and the information on how to best brand and Market your Podcasts. … [I] often drive by Cincinnati listening to your podcast. It's because of your podcast that I know that my podcast is both a TV show podcast and a current events podcast and thanks to you I know why I podcast and that's the F in profit which is for fun.” Read the full review.

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

Podcasting is a time-shifted media. While many subscribers will consume podcast episodes as they're released, some fans will binge on all your content, which can reveal some areas to improve your podcast.

I use my own My Podcast Reviews account to automatically collect and notify me of reviews from all 155 Apple Podcasts catalogs. The reviews are usually positive and encouraging. Even though they're reviews on my podcast, they often include insights you can apply in your own podcasting.

On September 5, Damian, from the USA and host of Adventures in Erylia, wrote the following 4-star review for The Audacity to Podcast (contains minor edits for clarity). There are some great podcasting lessons in here!

Great Content, But I Miss The More Amateur Vibe

I'll preface this by saying, my listening habits and experiences are far from the norm. I began listening to The Audacity To Podcast [TAP] in early July. It is now early September and I am caught up. That's right, in about 2 months, I have listened to over 300 episodes of TAP.

I'll start with the good. Daniel is very good at what he does: presenting. You don't listen to someone talk in your ear for 200 hours if they aren't a good presenter. He is extremely knowledgable at his topics. I have learned so much information that I can, and am, using to improve my podcast since listening to his show. TAP is what gave me the drive to stop pointing my podcast domain at free services and get my own webhost and my own wordpress site up and running. It is still a work in progress. I learned about Chris' Dynamic Compressor and feel that using that has greatly increased my sound. I've been learning all sorts of tips and tricks for my SEO and how to market myself and my podcast. I have binged through everything and the content is so good I will continue being a loyal listener.

However, the show isn't without what I would consider some faults. In the beginning, the ads for Citrix drove me crazy. Keep in mind, I was hearing a new, ham-fisted, Citrix ad every hour for days on end while listening through, while if you listened early on or at a slower pace, it's only once a week.

It really bummed me out when Daniel made the switch from Audacity to Audition. I get that this was a good move for him, but to me, this was the beginning of the show losing it's amateur feel. I use Audacity, largely because I can't afford to move to something like Audition, and Daniel's use of Audacity, as well as his routine of focusing on how to use it every 5 episodes really connected me to the show and told me that I could have a successful and profitable podcast with this free software. That being said, if I could afford the switch, I'd look into it, too.

My biggest criticism of TAP is his cross- and self-promotion. I don't mind his promotions for My Podcast Reviews so much because of a few pieces of criteria, but I can't stand the ads for Podcasters' Society. My Podcast Reviews gets a large pass for me because Daniel does offer a free version that you can use to get a feel for the tool and see what value it brings to you. I am signed up for it, though I am haven't gotten any reviews from foreign stores to really benefit from it so far. I also enjoy his usual way of promoting it, by reading some of these reviews and promoting the shows of those that leave him a review. Sometimes when he tries to work it into other parts of his show, it carries on a little too long for something you already know about and was only brought up as a promotion tool.

Podcasters' Society has really ground my gears, for a few reasons. This has especially been an issue while binge listening. I wish he could work things out to have the “free for an extremely short amount of time” webinars be free indefintely as a trial. As an amateur and a hobbyist, I simply cannot afford the $50/mo it takes to join his elite club. I understand that there is a lot of work that has gone into the society, but there isn't a good way to check it out and see what value would be brought by joining at such a high price.

There is also the issue of it being closed to new members so often. Even if you have the money to join, you often can't because he closes it to new members regularly. It's exceptionally annoying to be advertised to for a service that you couldn't even join if you wanted to. I digress though, this is another thing I know I would sign up for without any issue if it wasn't so out of my budget. It's unfortunate to hear about a service I am sure I would get great value out of, but know I cannot experience.

If I have such a problem with a big part of his content, why am I still giving it 4 stars? The answer to that is simple. Daniel runs a business. He needs to make money off of his products and services to provide for his family. He also offers a ton of knowledge outside of his premium tools for absolutely free. If listening to him talk about a product he worked hard on (that I can't afford) for a few minutes is the price I have to pay for him to keep doing what he's doing, so be it, he deserves a high review, and it'd be 4.5/5 if I could.

And for you Daniel, as I know you are reading this. Thank you for what you do for the podcasting community, please don't take what I said too harshly.

My podcast is Adventures in Erylia over at adventuresinerylia.com. We are currently on a hiatus because we switched from a Blue Yeti for 5 people to a Zoom H6 and 5 dynamic mics. We will be relaunching on September 30, AKA International Podcast Day.

1. People will binge when they like your show

I'll preface this by saying, my listening habits and experiences are far from the norm. I began listening to The Audacity To Podcast [TAP] in early July. It is now early September and I am caught up. That's right, in about 2 months, I have listened to over 300 episodes of TAP.

… You don't listen to someone talk in your ear for 200 hours if they aren't a good presenter. … I have binged through everything and the content is so good I will continue being a loyal listener.

This is also why your first episode will usually be one of your most popular. Some people will get your latest episode and then jump all the way to the beginning, and some people will start at the beginning and work their way to the present.

2. Your audience will stay when you consistently deliver value

I'll start with the good. Daniel is very good at what he does, presenting. You don't listen to someone talk in your ear for 200 hours if they aren't a good presenter. He is extremely knowledgable at his topics.

When someone finds a podcast they like, they tend to stay subscribed. This is why the audience size for any decent podcast should be generally growing: every new subscriber stays and thus causes a minor incline. The greater the incline in per-episode consumption, the more your audience is growing. If your podcast's stats are in consistent range (neither increasing nor decreasing), then you're probably losing subscribers at the same rate you're gaining them. And if your stats are on the decline, then you're losing subscribers faster than you are gaining them.

There was once a podcast I was extremely excited over. Having only read the description, I was sold on its being my new favorite podcast. When I finally did listen to one of the episodes, it confirmed all my hopes: this podcast was exactly what I needed and wanted.

But then I listened to more episodes and saw a lot of cheap repetition, forced outlines, and sacrificed depth. Each episode failed to deliver at least the same value (or close to it) as the episode before it. Although I had plenty of available listening time and had thus downloaded all the back-catalog, I gave up on the podcast and deleted the episodes.

And this had very little to do with the length of the episodes. However long they were, they were too long for what little value they delivered.

On the other side, I recently listened to my first episode of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History. Being raised a military brat, I was drawn to Dan's episode 59, which was all about nuclear weapons and the crisis they present. That the episode was three hours long didn't matter to me because there was so much value. In fact, the episode wasn't three hours long, it was nearly six hours long! Even though I listened across many sessions, I kept coming back because of the value Dan delivered in every minute.

Can your audience say the same thing about your podcast? Are there moments they skip because of low value? Is your growth stagnate because you're not consistently delivering value?

“Changing the world” may not be on the scale of global, national, or even regional issues. But you may change the world for one person. You may give them hope when they're hurting, encouragement when they're empty, community when they're alone, entertainment when they need to be distracted, education when they want to learn, and much more.

Although I talk about podcasting—technology, technique, and more—I changed Damian's life for the better in a small way, which will help him to better reach others and change their lives, too.

I have learned so much information that I can, and am, using to improve my podcast since listening to his show. TAP is what gave me the drive to stop pointing my podcast domain at free services and get my own webhost and my own wordpress site up and running. It is still a work in progress. I learned about Chris' Dynamic Compressor and feel that using that has greatly increased my sound. I've been learning all sorts of tips and tricks for my SEO and how to market myself and my podcast.

So whether your podcast topic is silly or serious, you can improve the lives of your audience.

4. Repetition across episodes can become annoying

Now, we get to the constructive criticism.

… the show isn't without what I would consider some faults. In the beginning, the ads for Citrix drove me crazy. Keep in mind, I was hearing a new, ham-fisted, Citrix ad every hour for days on end while listening through, while if you listened early on or at a slower pace, it's only once a week.

One of my greatest regrets in my history of podcasting is my “selling out” for some extra money. Sure, it was nice to get some bills paid, especially when I had not yet launched a business from my podcast. But the products I was advertising were barely relevant to my show or my audience.

Someday, I would love to edit out all the irrelevant ads from my past episodes. (You're welcome to help by telling me timecodes when those irrelevant ads start!)

Repetition is a powerful thing and I wasted it in my early days by trying to fit in a sponsor who really wasn't relevant, even though I used them for a time.

Aside from ad spots, this same negative aspect can apply to anything else you include in your podcast. Maybe it's a particular flow of questions or a call to action.

The easiest way to make things less annoying is to rotate through what you promote. For example, for each week of the month, you might have only a single, strong call to action:

First week: subscribe to your email list

Second week: share the episode

Third week: buy your thing

Fourth week: send feedback

That's not to say you have to avoid all other calls to action. But this is about what's strongest and avoiding an annoying recurring pattern.

But if you can't rotate through separate calls to action, consider changing how you do it each time.

5. Repetition is also powerful to make things stick

This is why podcast sponsorship works best when it's done consistently for at least a month or two. It takes repetition for it to stick.

Since I'm running a business, it's important for me to bring podcasters to the products and service I create to make their podcasts better. Of the three brands Damian mentioned in his review, one of them isn't mine. But that the other two are mine, and they stuck because of the repetition.

It's interesting and even amusing that Damian didn't mention D.Joseph Design, which is the legal name of my company and the brand (and collection of now retired services) I also promoted in my early days. So either my promotion wasn't effective, or my other reptitions pushed out that brand.

Look at what you repeat across episodes. Is it something you actually want to stick in your audience's minds? For example, do you really want your request for reviews to be the one thing that stands out and sticks more than anything else?

6. Your audience may not be ready to grow at your pace

Like TV shows with child actors, long-term podcasting presents challenges with personal growth. You're probably not the same person today as you were when you first started your podcast. Your experience, perspective, knowledge, and more have expanded with time and new information.

That's a great thing!

Unfortunately, it often means outgrowing either your audience or the premise of your show.

It really bummed me out when Daniel made the switch from Audacity to Audition. I get that this was a good move for him, but to me, this was the beginning of the show losing it's amateur feel. I use Audacity, largely because I can't afford to move to something like Audition, and Daniel's use of Audacity, as well as his routine of focusing on how to use it every 5 episodes really connected me to the show and told me that I could have a successful and profitable podcast with this free software. That being said, if I could afford the switch, I'd look into it, too.

When I first started The Audacity to Podcast, it was always going to be first about podcasting. But I didn't explain that well, and my early marketing intentionally attached me to the Audacity software. Although I still recommend Audacity for beginners, my needs have grown and I've found more limitations in the software (and I certainly felt I reached the limit of what I could talk about in Audacity for podcasting). So if my audience was joining me primarily for the Audacity information, I slowly stopped feeding that desire.

Now, after 326 episodes, I still stay focused on my core theme of podcasting. If my podcasting led me along a different path and I changed the show's premise to follow that path, I believe I would be breaking an implied promise with my audience and doing them a great disservice by changing my show too much.

Consider this example. Because I've been displeased with some weight I've gained, I've been making changes to my diet and also trying to get back into my favorite physical activity—karate. With a simple look at what I was eating, I realized my diet had way too many carbs, so I've had to cut back on that. One of the easiest ways I've done that is to eat eggs for breakfast instead of something filled with carbs.

How many ways can you cook an egg? (There's a podcast waiting to hatch!) There are hundreds if not thousands of ways to cook eggs, or using eggs as the primary ingredient. But take the eggs out or demote their importance and you're no longer cooking eggs.

However your grow while you're podcasting, remember your audience may not be able or willing to grow with you. As long as you continue to deliver value on your premise, your audience will probably stay. But if you grow beyond that premise, the shift may be too radical for your audience to follow.

7. Satisfied audience members won't mind engaging promotion

My biggest criticism of TAP is his cross- and self-promotion. I don't mind his promotions for My Podcast Reviews so much because of a few pieces of criteria, …. My Podcast Reviews gets a large pass for me because Daniel does offer a free version that you can use to get a feel for the tool and see what value it brings to you. … I also enjoy his usual way of promoting it, by reading some of these reviews and promoting the shows of those that leave him a review.

Why did I start giving shout-outs to podcasters who wrote reviews for The Audacity to Podcast? It helped me (1) get to know my audience better, (2) encourage more reviews, and (3) create more opportunities to naturally promote My Podcast Reviews.

And because that promotion is engaging, I've heard from many podcasters who don't mind it or even enjoy it.

The same thing goes for ads I hear in podcasts, too. I usually skip the ads for the same-old current wave of podcast sponsors. But when a host either integrates that promotion into their content, or makes the promotion engaging, I intentionally choose not to skip the ad. And those ads then become more memorable.

I still remember sponsors of Good Mythical Morning, FilmRiot,The Way I Heard It, and more because the ad engaged or entertained me—yes, even when the ad might have seemed irrelevant to the show!

8. Squeezing promotion everywhere it fits is too much

Sometimes when he tries to work it [My Podcast Reviews] into other parts of his show, it carries on a little too long for something you already know about and was only brought up as a promotion tool.

On the extreme end of making ads, calls to action, or any kind of promotion engaging is obnoxious integration.

Imagine if I mentioned My Podcast Reviews and gave you the URL every time I referred to Damian's review!

Integrating promotion is like a seasoning or spice for food. It only takes a little to be effective.

9. Timeless content complicates timely promotions

Yes, we will probably all have something timely to promote at some time. It could be the Podcast Awards, an upcoming event, a special sale, or anything else that may happen only at a specific time (even if repeating).

The first iteration of what become Podcasters' Society was Podcast Master Class. That was an intense month-long course with in-depth training, podcast evaluations, personal coaching, and more. I stopped doing it after the first time because I struggled too much to include promotion in my episodes.

The struggle was twofold: simply remembering to include it and recognizing that the promotion would be a permanent part of those episodes for years to come.

This kind of timely promotion bothered Damian, too.

My biggest criticism of TAP is his cross- and self-promotion. … I can't stand the ads for Podcasters' Society. …

Podcasters' Society has really ground my gears, for a few reasons. This has especially been an issue while binge listening. I wish he could work things out to have the “free for an extremely short amount of time” webinars be free indefintely as a trial.

When I created Podcasters' Society, I knew it could finally be something I could regularly promote without worrying much about time-sensitive offers.

However, time-sensitive stuff still happens. So anytime I promote something timely, I try to include some way to keep the promotion timeless.

My approach to “free for an extremely short amount of time” makes a whole lot more sense when they are recurring events. However, that the high-value content then becomes exclusive to members of Podcasters' Society also increases the value of membership, and creates something I can continue to promote.

It's a careful balance. Your audience could miss the timely thing by a couple days or by years. I don't think it's reasonable for you to keep timely promotions available forever, but I do recommend finding a way to make your promotion timeless.

For example, if you're promoting an upcoming event (whether in-person or online), consider pointing to a URL that will always have updated information. Or, that URL could contain the recap for those who missed it.

10. Don't overprice for the audience you want

Pricing may always be a challenge because not everyone values something the same. Even something as seemingly simple as milk could be available in some form that costs ten times what the cheap stuff costs.

If you ever hire or act as a consultant, then you have experienced this same challenge. Consider someone like Gordon Firemark. He's an entertainment lawyer and he's an expert dealing with intellectual property (especially for podcasters). An hour of his time could cost thousands of dollars or more, but if that time either saves or earns you tens of thousands of dollars, isn't it worth it?

As an amateur and a hobbyist, I simply cannot afford the $50/mo it takes to join his elite club [Podcasters' Society]. I understand that there is a lot of work that has gone into the society, but there isn't a good way to check it out and see what value would be brought by joining at such a high price.

… this is another thing I know I would sign up for without any issue if it wasn't so out of my budget. It's unfortunate to hear about a service I am sure I would get great value out of, but know I cannot experience.

That Damian felt there wasn't a good way to see proof of the value is definitely something for me to work on.

There's also another issue here that you may run into: pricing for the audience you want.

If I made Podcasters' Society only $5/month, either no one would use it or it would be abused (and some people would still say it's too expensive). Look at your value in the same way! I commonly hear business say it's the cheap customers who cause the most problems and ultimately cost the most.

Money is an exchangeable measurement of worth. When someone pays a high price for something, they take good care of it because they've assigned a particular worth to it. And when they pay a low price, the thing has much less assigned value and is often treated the same way.

So when you sell something at a price—whether a product or service you create, or even your own podcast for sponsors or donors—you are assigning a measureable value to it. If you charge too little, it won't be respected. If you charge too much, it won't be purchased.

I know the value of Podcasters' Society is worth more than I'm charging for it. Several members have already said similar things, even in regards to a single small but relevant resource. But at the same time, I have to charge a price in line with what my ideal customer will consider a fair value.

After all, it's often not about the real numbers, but about what those numbers mean to us.

11. Avoid “breaking” timeless promotions

If you do succeed in promoting timeless or even timely things in a timeless way, ensure that never breaks!

There is also the issue of it [Podcasters' Society] being closed to new members so often. Even if you have the money to join, you often can't because he closes it to new members regularly. It's exceptionally annoying to be advertised to for a service that you couldn't even join if you wanted to.

Closing Podcasters' Society was something I hated doing. I see some sleazy marketers talk about creating a false scarcity. But since Podcasters' Society provides ongoing value, there's no true scarcity to it. So the reason I most recently closed it for several months (costing me a lot of potential new members, too), was because I genuinely needed to rebuild the inside of it and I didn't want new members coming in when things were broken.

And where that especially hurt was when I had already previously said Podcasters' Society would be open indefinitely. So in my case, rather than merely closing it, I offered a waiting list and kept those interested subscribers informed on how things were progressing. And when I was ready to finally reopen, I gave them a special offer for their patience.

Among many reasons, what I love about Podcasters' Society's being a membership site instead of being a month-long course like Podcast Master Class was is that I can promote Podcasters' Society at any time.

So if you have any kind of timeless promotion in your podcasts, make sure it's either always available—even years later—or that there's some appropriate substitute or promise.

12. People will accept your selling when you give value first

After all that stuff Damian said he didn't like about my promotions or one of my products, he still likes the podcast and continues to listen. Why?

If I have such a problem with a big part of his content, why am I still giving it 4 stars? The answer to that is simple. Daniel runs a business. He needs to make money off of his products and services to provide for his family. He also offers a ton of knowledge outside of his premium tools for absolutely free. If listening to him talk about a product he worked hard on (that I can't afford) for a few minutes is the price I have to pay for him to keep doing what he's doing, so be it, he deserves a high review, and it'd be 4.5/5 if I could.

And for you Daniel, as I know you are reading this. Thank you for what you do for the podcasting community, please don't take what I said too harshly.

There are two big things in what Damian said.

First, he recognized that I'm running a business that must provide for my family and others (I regularly pay several other people who do valuable work for me). He respects the reason I sell.

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/podcasting-lessons-from-a-binge-listener-tap327/feed/2Podcasting is a time-shifted media. Some fans will binge on all your content, which can reveal some areas to improve your podcast. Here are 12 lessons.Daniel J. Lewis and Damian from Adventures in Erylia327Podcasting Lessons from a Binge-Listenerclean1:03:57How YOU Can Help Podcasting Grow – TAP326https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-you-can-help-podcasting-grow-tap326/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-you-can-help-podcasting-grow-tap326/#commentsWed, 04 Oct 2017 15:18:37 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=14438

Podcasting is unlike any other media. This is why its year-over-year growth has been more gradual than anything else. We may never see a “hockey-stick” spike, but you, as a fan or a creator, are the most powerful influence to bring more people to podcasts.

You have the most power to help podcasting grow

Because podcasting is a grassroots industry, we independent content-creators and podcast-fans are the best evangelists to encourage more people to try a podcast.

1. Share and talk about your favorite podcasts

Like how you talk about your favorite TV shows, movies, and music with friends, family and coworkers, include podcasts in those conversations!

Especially with today's political environment, it could be great to offer content relevant to current conversations, but without all the definite big-media bias or limited coverage.

2. Explain the podcast content, not the podcasting technology

While there is a place to walk people through the technology of podcasts and how to subscribe, the most important thing is to get people interested in the content.

Do your favorite podcasts make you laugh? Do they encourage you to become better? Do they motivate or equip you? Sharing these are more engaging than explains RSS feeds, enclosures, downloads, and more.

You can even help attach this content to a trigger, like commuting or doing a chore. Explain the content you can enjoy during those mundane activities.

3. Simplify the podcast-consumption experience

Instead of simply referencing podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or more, point others directly to where they can listen—even if that doesn't mean subscribing yet.

For example, you could share the direct link to your media file, so no matter where they are, they can click and listen.

You could rotate through different types of links, such as direct media URL, link to Apple Podcasts for their iOS device, a link to your website with an obvious player, and so on.

4. Help people find podcasts they'll like

Often, your podcast may be irrelevant to the person you're talking to. So it's more important to help podcasts grow, and not grow your own podcast.

Ask about hobbies, favorite TV shows, work industry and suggest podcasts that fit those interests. You could even keep in mind a few general-interest podcasts you can recommend, such as The Story Behind. Pay attention to other places where independent podcasters share their shows, or even places like New & Noteworthy, to know what podcasts could be great to recommend.

Also consider having a list of kid-friendly podcasts you can recommend, as many parents may be interested in playing podcasts for their kids (through a mobile device or smart speaker).

You want someone else's podcast to be something so relevant to them, that they get hooked.

5. Teach how to subscribe

After you have gotten someone hooked on podcast content they'll love, then you can teach them how to subscribe so they receive every episode automatically.

Instead of likening podcasts to the radio, it might be easier to liken them to audiobooks.

While you may have a podcasts app you love after trying dozens, make it simpler for the person you're talking to. Point them to the podcast app that may already be installed on their device, point them to a free app they can install, or even consider giving them a few dollars for them to pay an app you recommend.

6. Make your own podcast as easy as “visit website; press play” and include the top subscription links

When it's relevant to promote your own podcast, the best way is to point people to your own website. From there, they should see an obvious player and relevant subscription links.

Test your own website and the podcast-consumption experience on mobile devices, because that's most likely how someone will visit your website. Thus, ensure the player works on mobile, it's large enough to tap with big fingers, and the site layout is optimized for the small screen.

7. Become an advocate in your local community

Go to your local library, Chamber of Commerce, universities, or other associations and offer to teach a podcast workshop. This isn't to teach how to create podcasts, but how to consume them.

Keep an eye on Cincinnati for some upcoming examples of how you might be able to become a local advocate for podcasting.

8. Teach your audience language they can repeat

Instead of ensuring a verbatim tagline, be so consistent with your message that your audience can easily explain it to someone else.

This comes from clarity and repetition. You must know what your show is really about and why it matters to others.

9. Celebrate International Podcast Day

If you believe in the power you and I hold to help podcasting grow, please share this episode!

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Chef Robert, from the USA and host of The Happy Diabetic Kitchen, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “The help I need! Daniel, I have heard Dave Jackson talk about you for a very long time. So happy I decided to tune in. I just heard your most current episode. WOW great stuff and I admire your passion. …” Read the full review.

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-you-can-help-podcasting-grow-tap326/feed/2Podcasting is unlike any other media. You, as a podcast-fan or a podcaster, are the most powerful influence to bring more people to podcasts.Daniel J. Lewis and Elsie Escobar326How You Can Help Podcasting Growclean53:28How to Support Your Podcast Audience on Android – TAP325https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-support-your-podcast-audience-on-android-tap325/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-support-your-podcast-audience-on-android-tap325/#commentsTue, 03 Oct 2017 14:15:07 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=14215

Apple products get a lot of attention in the podcasting space, but iOS is actually not the most popular mobile operating system. Here's how you can ensure you don't forget your Android podcast fans!

1. Respect Android and its users

Data from Edison Research, Blubrry, and Libsyn continue to show Apple devices dominate podcast consumption by huge numbers. But there are far more Android devices than iOS devices.

Have you heard the story of the two shoemakers in a foreign country?

One shoemaker arrives and notices the natives are all barefoot, so with a voice of defeat, he calls his supplier and says, “Forget it. No one wears shoes here. This is a failure.”

That's how many podcasters look at Android users. They think something like, “They represent such a small portion of the podcast audience, so why bother reaching them?”

But the other shoemaker has a different worldview. He arrives in the same foreign country and also notices natives are all barefoot. But this shoemaker eagerly calls his supplier and says, “No one wears shoes here! SEND ME EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!”

It's a difference of perspective. You might disrespect Android users and assume they're not the “type” of people to consume podcasts. While that may be true in some cases, the stereotype doesn't apply to all Android users.

Perhaps the reason most podcast consumption happens on an Apple device is based on the early history and corporate level of support for podcasts.

But this is no reason to ignore or especially not to alienate a huge potential audience for your podcast. Imagine getting as many Android subscribers to your podcast as you have iOS subscribers. You would probably see at least a 50% increase in your audience size.

Isn't that worth the work?

2. Don't focus so much on “iTunes”

One of the big ways we tend to alienate our potential audience of Android users is by pushing “iTunes.”

First of all, we should stop saying “iTunes” when we really mean “Apple Podcasts,” since podcasts are not consumed in iTunes on the majority of Apple devices. And if Apple ever releases some kind of podcast-consumption option for Android, it's likely to be called “Apple Podcasts,” and not iTunes.

Branding aside, referring so much to iTunes—both in encouraging subscriptions and in asking for ratings and reviews—is instantly excluding anyone listening or watching through an Android device.

Keep in mind ratings and reviews do not affect your ranking in almost any podcast app. But if you're going to ask for ratings and reviews, remember to offer an Android option, such as Stitcher. And don't worry about having yet another place to check your podcast reviews, because My Podcast Reviews has been able to automatically collect your Stitcher reviews for years.

So I recommend either excluding mention of specific apps or platforms altogether, or being more inclusive of popular Android options whenever you mention “Apple Podcasts” (or “iTunes,” if you keep accidentally saying the wrong thing).

3. Offer Android subscription options

My first two suggestions focused on changing your mindset toward Android users. Now, look at the practical ways to support your current or potential podcast audience on Android.

It starts by offering a simple Android subscription link.

Yes, we probably all have the “Subscribe in iTunes” links, buttons, and icons on our sites. (My own Social Subscribe & Follow Icons plugin is switching from saying “iTunes” to “Apple Podcasts.”) But that's not good enough for Android users—except BeyondPod, which is the only Android app I know that can use an iTunes link for subscribing on Android. Even then, the label still says “iTunes” or “Apple Podcasts,” and thus won't be obvious to BeyondPod users.

For a while, Stitcher was the most-recommend podcast app for Android, but Stitcher has lost a lot of market share over the years. However, we can all be thankful Stitcher no longer rehosts your podcast media and now allows users to download podcast episodes for offline consumption. Great job, Midroll and E.W.Scripps (Cincinnati companies!). Nonetheless, Stitcher may not be the best option to recommend to your Android-using potential audience.

And since the beginning of blogging and podcasting, a manual RSS link has been extremely popular, but has significantly decreased in recent years. But I think it's still one of the most important links to include on your site, because a direct RSS feed is entirely decentralized and compatible with any podcast app.

You may also see some companies, like Libsyn and Spreaker, offer additional-cost options for you to get a standalone Android app for your podcast. I don't think that's a bad option. It certainly has a bunch of benefits (especially in helping podcast-ignorant people easily “subscribe” to a podcast by installing its app). But a standalone app, while only $100 or so per year, might be out of the budget for many podcasters.

So what is best for helping your potential audience to subscribe on Android? That's exactly it: SubscribeOnAndroid.com.

This is a free, opensource, barely branded option created by Blubrry to help you engage the Android users. Search for your podcast or paste your RSS feed URL into SubscribeOnAndroid.com and you'll get back a slightly altered URL that now works as a one-click subscription option supported by a bunch of the most popular podcast apps on Android.

If someone visits your SubscribeOnAndroid.com link and doesn't have one of those great podcast apps already installed, the link will instead recommend those great paid and free podcast apps.

There's no approval process for SubsribeOnAndroid.com. It's super simple, and it works great, especially if you then make a friendly URL with your domain, like TheAudacitytoPodcast.com/android.

Then, include this Android link anywhere on your site along with your Apple Podcasts and RSS links.

4. Test your podcast in popular apps for Android

The last thing to do is ensure your podcast actually works in the popular podcast apps for Android. That may mean spending only a few dollars to buy the popular apps yourself, or you might be able to ask an Android-using friend to check and test some things for you.

How your podcast episodes display and play in the app (for example, whether your show notes or episode-level image show)

As a starting place, I recommend the following most popular podcast apps for Android:

Pocket Casts

Podcast Addict

Podcast Republic

BeyondPod

CastBox

Stitcher

DoggCatcher

TuneIn

Google Play Music (yeah, Google's nearly abandoned official podcast app)

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Barbara Stevens, from Australia and host of Breakup Recovery, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “… I had no previous experience in podcasting, interviewing people or recording, so I was keen to find a podcast that could give me the knowledge and information that allowed me to feel confident in producing my own podcast. And that is what ‘The Audacity To Podcast’ has done for me. … I am grateful for podcasts like ‘The Audacity To Podcast’ that encourage fellow podcasters to continually improve and achieve amazing results.” Read the full review.

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-support-your-podcast-audience-on-android-tap325/feed/7Apple gets a lot of attention in podcasting, but Android is actually more popular than iOS. Here's how to not forget your Android podcast fans!Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher325How to Support Your Podcast Audience on Androidclean24:35Why iOS 11 Is Great for Podcasts and Podcasting – TAP324https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-ios-11-is-great-for-podcasts-and-podcasting-tap324/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-ios-11-is-great-for-podcasts-and-podcasting-tap324/#commentsTue, 26 Sep 2017 12:00:55 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=14210

Apple released iOS 11 on September 19 for iPhones and iPads. It brings many new features to support podcasting and improve podcast consumption! Here's what I think you should love.

Improvements for consuming podcasts

Most of Apple's improvements to the Podcasts app in iOS 11 are designed to improve the experience for users. And I think we should all be advocates for making things easier for the audience.

The new seasons and serial features make it easy for someone to enjoy a podcast in the right order and not miss anything. The new bonus and trailer episode types make it easier to preview a podcast and enjoy extra content. And the app leverages new and existing tags to enhance the browsing and listening experience by displaying episode types, episode numbers, teaser text, full show notes, and an option to visit the episode's webpage.

As a podcaster, you don't have to update all your old episodes to use the new features, but doing so could make your podcast appear a lot nicer in the app. If you have a seasonal show, I definitely recommend assigning at least the most recent one or two seasons.

New and upcoming Siri integrations

Siri's default English voice sounds more natural in iOS 11, but she can do more, too! Try saying, “Hey, Siri. Subscribe to The Audacity to Podcast.” She'll find the top podcast match, read the title and author to you, and ask you whether you want to subscribe. (You can also say, “Play the latest episode of The Audacity to Podcast,” and she'll do it, but that was available before iOS 11.)

Now that Apple supports an episode number tag in the RSS feed, I expect you'll eventually be able to ask Siri to play a specific episode or season of a podcast.

iOS 11 also opened more support for developers to integrate with Siri. For example, you can tell Siri to make a new note in Evernote. I'm sure other podcast-app developers will work to integrate Siri into their systems, too.

Easier rating and reviewing

Before iOS 11, rating and reviewing a podcast on a mobile device was a huge pain. Even though I recommended pointing people to your iTunes URL (I hope with a friendly /itunes URL on your domain), that might behave weirdly:

If they weren't already subscribed to the podcast in Apple Podcasts, your iTunes link would take them to your podcast in the Apple Podcasts catalog and they could find the area to rate or review.

If they were already subscribed to the podcast in Apple Podcasts, your iTunes link would take them to your podcast in their subscription library in Apple Podcasts. But there was no way to rate or review from there!

Thus, the only ways you could ensure they would get to an area to rate and review would be to use a complicated URL hack or to tell them to find your podcast with a search in the Podcasts app!

But in iOS 11, existing ratings and reviews along with the ability to rate and review appear with the podcast in both the catalog and in your subscription library! So even though your iTunes URL still takes them to your podcast in their subscription library, they can swipe to below your episodes and easily tap to rate and review!

Easier podcast discovery recommendations

“Podcast discovery” is a mythical problem. Yes, podcasters think there's a problem with their shows being discovered, but discovery isn't a problem for the consumers. Ironically, nearly everyone trying to solve this mythical “podcast discovery” problem is making an app or website that has to be discovered!

Discovery isn't the problem. Relevant recommendations might be.

For years, Apple has suggested other relevant podcasts on your podcast's catalog entry. But the most common time someone would see that is when they're finding the podcast for the first time! After that, those recommendations were relegated to stay in the podcast catalog and never be seen again.

But in iOS 11, those recommendations are now displayed with the podcast inside the subscription library! Thus, simply swipe all the up and you'll see a “You might also like” section. Looking at my own listing for The Audacity to Podcast, all but one of the recommended podcasts are about podcasting! And the top two are School of Podcasting and The Podcaster's Studio!

As a podcaster, don't rely on this boosting your numbers a whole lot. Word of mouth from personal recommendations will still be the most powerful way people find new podcasts.

Analytics for podcasters

If you launched the Podcasts app on iOS 11, you may have noticed it has its own terms and conditions you must accept before using the app. That's because the Podcasts app in iOS 11 is now tracking actual consumption of episodes! This means when Apple opens the data to podcasters in late 2017, you'll be able to log into your Podcasts Connect account and see how people consumed your episodes! You'll see where they skipped, where they abandoned the episode, how quickly your episodes reach download or completion thresholds, and more!

Seeing this deeper data may hurt your pride a little at first, but it can be a great way for you to know how engaging your episodes are. For example, you could learn:

How much of your audience skips any part of your episode: opening, closing, ads, or other calls to action

How much of your audience listens to all (or almost all) of your episode

Whether a particular section of your podcast inspires your audience to abandon it

What this data probably won't confirm is the ideal length of a podcast episode, because there really isn't one! I expect we'll see a lot of public-radio podcasters claim their data shows shorter episodes might be better, but that data can only apply to their shows. So maybe their shows should be shorter!

I look forward to learning what kind of retention long podcasts like Dan Carlin's Hardcore History or No Agenda get!

And yes, the email you may see from Chel Torres is truly from Apple and it shows they're working to fix “Apple IDpocolypse” so you'll eventually have access to the new analytics even if the Apple ID stuff is messed up for your podcast.

Better tools for creators

iOS 11 brings a lot of other updates that allow developers to make better apps.

For example, iPad users can now drag and drop stuff between apps. That can make creating content much easier when you don't have a computer!

Safari (the default web browser in iOS 11) finally supports WebRTC, which is the technology that makes possible multiender tools like Zencastr, Ringr, and Cast.

And I think somewhat surprisingly, Apple added a QR Code scanner to the native camera app. That makes QR Codes cool again! (Imagine all the sarcasm you want for that statement.)

What other things do you think make iOS 11 great for podcasts and podcasting?

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

DarkCrystal34, from the USA, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “… His information on The Audacity to Podcast and other podcast sites/shows is informative, clear, very to the point, and always unique in that he strikes the perfect balance of nerding out with nuanced detail, but keeping the broad level important points in place, in a way that's organized and easily digestible. Kudos for this podcast production information! Folks may also want to check out Podcasters' Roundtable, which includes Daniel with other podcast show guests having round-robin conversations about all things in the podcast production world.” Read the full review.

Mark Paul, from the USA and host of Overtime Hockey Talk, wrote in Apple Podcasts, “… I have started my own podcast and his advice has saved me from making mistakes early on that may have otherwise railroaded me and got me off track. …” Read the full review.

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-ios-11-is-great-for-podcasts-and-podcasting-tap324/feed/4Apple released iOS 11 on September 19 for iPhones and iPads. It brings many new features to support podcasting and improve podcast consumption! Here's what I think you should love.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher324Why iOS 11 Is Great for Podcasts and Podcastingclean34:02Should You Podcast with a Cohost? – TAP323https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/should-you-podcast-with-a-cohost-tap323/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/should-you-podcast-with-a-cohost-tap323/#commentsTue, 19 Sep 2017 12:00:27 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13763

Should you podcast alone, or get a cohost? Cohosts can make some things easier, some things harder. Here's help you to pick what's right for your podcasting.

Potential benefits podcasting with a cohost

First, let's focus on the positives, and probably the reasons you're thinking of podcasting with a cohost.

1. A cohost can bring additional content and perspective

Unless you have a mental clone, another person on your podcast will have a different perspective from different experience. This could be in small areas like seeing something you missed, or in big areas like holding a drastically different set of beliefs.

This variety brings more ideas and a more thorough approach to content.

For example, one of our ONCE podcast cohosts studied Greek mythology. When the Once Upon a Time TV show had a story arc deep in Greek mythology, she brought fantastic expertise and perspective to our conversations! What would have taken me time to research and understand (if I even recognized things), she was able to explain from the knowledge she already had.

2. A cohost can create dialogue

It takes a lot of intentional practice and personal development to monologue well. But even when you're good at talking by yourself, energy can be missing. For example, comedy is a lot easier when there's someone else to laugh at your story or punchline. Without that instant feedback, your timing could be all wrong or you may undermine your own comedy (such as with an “uh” while you wait for the joke to hit).

Monologues aren't bad. But dialogues can be a whole lot more authentic and personable. Thus, they can be more entertaining or more engaging for your audience.

Dialogues can also help your audience feel more represented. Your cohost could ask you the same questions your audience might be asking.

When I did my epic 10th-anniversary podcast episode (#301) with my wife, Jenny, I first imagined it being an interview with her asking me questions. But when we sat and recorded for nearly six hours (often interrupted by Noodle Baby), I feel like my stories became a whole lot more conversational, even though Jenny spoke actually very little in that episode. Simply her being there and being part of the conversation made it a whole lot more natural.

A lecture-style podcast, like The Audacity to Podcast, is not the only way to teach. You can teach through dialogue or even a shared presentation.

I already covered an aspect of sharing the presentation responsibilities, but a cohost can also help in potentially three other important parts:

Preparation: Collaborate on your content before you record. You bring some of the content, and your cohost brings the other content. You can segment this however works best for you.

Production: Your cohost might have the skills to edit your audio or video, write your show notes, capture sound clips or screenshots, or design images to make your podcast better.

Promotion: Having multiple people participating in your podcast means potentially double the reach to your existing and potential audience. You can both share the latest episodes on your personal accounts and take turns engaging in relevant communities.

4. A cohost can help with consistency

Many experts across many fields agree that consistency is one of the most important things to building influence and relationships. And your podcast is no exception.

It's much easier to be consistent when you have a cohost. This is probably because there seems to be a lot more tangible reward or penalty associated with your consistency. For example, if you and your cohost have a weekly schedule, then you know you have to be ready when you connect with each other.

And because you and your cohost (or cohosts) share the burdens of your podcast (whether it's some of the workflow responsibilities, or simply bringing content to each episode), it means it's easier for you since you're not taking the whole burden yourself.

Potential disadvantages podcasting with a cohost

Working with cohosts is not without potential disadvantages. These may be avoided with proper planning and agreements, but they should certainly be handled agreeably between you and your cohost.

1. A cohost can complicate things

Schedule, ownership, responsibilities, and especially money can all get complicated when more than one person is involved in your podcast. For example, who owns the podcast if one of you wants to quit? Who has to pay the bills and who gets to keep how much of any money that comes in? Who has to take responsibility if certain things go wrong?

Having a cohost can also complicate your podcasting technology requirements, whether they're in your studio or remote.

2. A cohost can bring down your podcast

If you don't have sufficient agreements in place, it's possible falling out with your cohost could result in the death of your podcast.

But even before a show's death, if a cohost isn't doing their job well or isn't bringing their best to the microphone, your episodes and your audience could suffer. I've seen cohosts kill humor, stop a good flow, and pull the conversation into negativity.

3. A cohost can distract you

While it's true a cohost can help remove distractions so you can focus on the podcast—whether they're sharing responsibilities or they're carrying the conversation in an episode while you're doing something else—they can also distract you.

For example, you may have a lesson you want to share, but your cohost keeps interjecting thoughts or contradicting your information. There is certainly a time for that, but if that moment is the wrong time, then it can become a major distraction for you and your audience.

You or your cohost could also have issues outside that podcast that may creep into the episode (and thus bring it down, as with the previous point), or that looms over you and distracts either of you from performing. I remember a couple times I had a personal issue with a cohost and that hurt our on-mic performance.

4. A cohost might not be a good podcaster

You may be a seasoned podcaster: you have good mic technique, you know how to tell a good story, you know what your audience wants, you're focused on improving your podcast by being in Podcasters' Society, and you're skilled with all your podcasting tools. But your cohost might be none of those things.

What makes a good friend or business associate doesn't always make a good cohost. You do need a good dynamic with each other, but they might be lacking necessary skills to be a good cohost.

For example, they might be horrible with technology and thus always mess up some aspect of the audio quality. Or maybe they're not good at speaking to an audience, so their funny story or interesting insight might not be easy to understand.

The good thing is all this can be learned! You can find tools to simplify your process (even if it means sacrificing a little quality). You can help them improve their microphone technique. And you can help guide (or even edit) the conversation so it communicates well.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Louie Marsh, from the USA and host of Disciple Up, wrote, “… Daniel is a natural teacher and encourager and is open and honest with his audience. I've learned so much from him and can tell you for sure that my podcast, Disciple Up would not exist without his help. That help includes several personal e-mails he took the time to send me. He doesn't just share information, he cares about his audience as well and that really comes through.”

Sean MacGuire (AKA “Godless Poutine”), from Canada and host of Share a Slice with Sean, wrote, “I first saw Daniel on YouTube reviewing mics and immediately discovered a wealth of good information. Now you could find this same information elsewhere but it's the crystal clear, warm and calm delivery Daniel uses which really encourages rather than overwhelms. I say overwhelm because that's how I felt with the adoption of my second son as newborn and the ongoing challenges with raising the first. I was still dealing with the pain of having to reset my expectations of releasing weekly or even twice monthly when I heard Daniels excellent episode on podcasting when life becomes unpredictable. I wish I had found the episode when I was struggling to get baby and first born to sleep and then sitting there too tired to work on the podcast and not having had the chance to talk with my wife the entire day! In short, fantastic podcast and extraordinary episode, Daniel. It raised my spirits.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/should-you-podcast-with-a-cohost-tap323/feed/4Should you podcast alone, or get a cohost? Cohosts can make some things easier, some things harder. Here's help you to pick what's right for your podcasting.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher323Should You Podcast with a Cohost?clean32:116 Times to Follow Up in Podcasting – TAP322https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/6-times-to-follow-up-in-podcasting-tap322/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/6-times-to-follow-up-in-podcasting-tap322/#commentsTue, 12 Sep 2017 12:00:34 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13848

Effective follow-up can make a huge difference to the growth and success of your podcast. Here are some tips to help you!

1. Follow up after publishing episodes

Your work isn't done when you click publish. Now, it's time to promote that episode!

Share it on your social-network accounts

Pull out quotable moments to turn into images, “audiograms” (such as with Wavve or Audiogram), and tweets

Send an email to subscribers

Share it in relevant communities where appropriate

Respond to comments on the episode

Continue promoting for as long as it's relevant (such as with SocialJukebox)

2. Follow up after events

When you attend an event of any kind, you probably meet new people, get new ideas, and have things you'll need to take action on when you return. Your investment being at the event could be wasted if you don't follow up afterward.

For people you meet, I recommend collecting a business card and writing something about your conversation or next step. You can easily scan cards with Evernote and then set a reminder. When you return (or maybe even from the event), follow up with an email or other forms of contact.

When you get an idea or learn something you want to try, make sure it's recorded and accessible later. You could even set a reminder for yourself to review your notes and take action at a specific later date.

3. Follow up after interviewing

When you interview someone on your podcast, follow up with a simple and genuine note of gratefulness. When you publish the episode, send another follow-up with the relevant links and suggested messages and other resources your guest can use to share the episode with their audience.

But don't pester your guest to promote your show. You already received their greatest value: the content in your episode.

4. Follow up after guesting

When you are a guest on someone else's podcast, make sure you follow up with any promises you made to the host or to their audience. For example, free offers or engaging in the comments.

Even if the host doesn't ask you to, follow up by promoting your appearance on their podcast. You could even consider adding it to a reposting queue to share on your social networks every few weeks (SocialJukebox makes this easy).

5. Follow up after requests

Whether you're asking for a guest, a product to review, feedback, or making any other request, be patient and allow some time for the person to read and respond to your request. But don't leave it alone for too long! Consider a quick follow-up message or call to ensure they saw your first request.

I really like Boomerang for Gmail to manage this kind of follow-up. I can set an email thread to return to me at a later date based on certain conditions, such as if they haven't responded, if they haven't opened the email, or regardless of engagement.

6. Follow up after offers

If you offer something to your audience, follow-up to ensure they get it.

For example, if it's a special offer you send to your email subscribers, make sure you send another email before the offer expires (but filter out anyone who already took the offer).

And for the people who take your offer, follow up to ensure they received what they expected. You could also take that opportunity to connect them with more relevant stuff. For example, I can promote my SEO for Podcasters course to anyone who previously accessed my free podcast SEO cheat sheet.

What other ways do you follow up in podcasting? Comment to share the tips or tools you use!

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Ronnie Obenhaus, from the USA and host of Redeeming Bad Movies, wrote, “Thank you, Daniel. Your positivity and passion have inspired me to start my own podcast. Your episodes helped to give me confidence to just start. I feel like my content has gotten better over time and I owe a lot of that to you. So thank you sir. The Good in the Bad by the Ugly podcast is a passion project of mine to try and get people to rethink their initial ratings of movies. With your enthusiasm, I was able to add a voice to my thoughts. Now, with my ramblings, the army that is my listeners can help bring a movie from the brink of obscurity to the safety of mediocrity. Thank you.”

Allen C. Paul (AKA Ap88keys), from the USA and host of The God and Gigs Show, wrote, “When I first realized that a podcast would be a good fit for my project God and Gigs, my faith-centered community of mainstream artists and musicians, I was immediately worried that I wouldn't be able to figure out all the nuances of yet another broadcast medium. … After a few fruitless Google searches, I found Daniel's show, and his clear and concise style immediately made it seem less stressful to find information. … I'm thankful for this show for helping me successfully launch the first episode of the God and Gigs Show. …”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/6-times-to-follow-up-in-podcasting-tap322/feed/2Effective follow-up can make a huge difference to the growth and success of your podcast. Here are some tips to help you!]]>Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher3226 Times to Follow Up in Podcastingclean20:33Avoid These Mistakes If You Go to Events – TAP321https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/avoid-these-mistakes-if-you-go-to-events-tap321/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/avoid-these-mistakes-if-you-go-to-events-tap321/#commentsTue, 05 Sep 2017 12:00:01 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13821

Attending events relevant or beneficial to your podcast can hold exciting opportunities—unless you make these mistakes.

Going without a plan

You may be tempted to wait until you're at the event to go with your feelings on decisions, but this often leads to missing important things.

If you have people you want to meet, sessions you want to attend, or other things you want to do, you'll be far more likely to accomplish them all if you make a plan before the event.

Committing or trying to do too much

Even with a plan, it can be easy to overcommit yourself at an event. Schedules need margin for each event to account for travel, traffic, overtime, physical needs, and any other kind of delay or extension.

At Podcast Movement 2017, I wanted to record audio interviews for a podcast episode and record video testimonials from Podcasters' Society members. Neither of these actually happened because I didn't have a plan and even if I did, I was trying to cram too many things into an already tight schedule with other commitments.

Neglecting your body's needs

Events can be rough on your body. There's the stress of travel, the potential shift in time zones, probably less sleep, a lot of talking, contact with germ-carrying creatures (often called “other humans attending the event”), and the adrenaline rush that can distract you from what your body needs.

Podcast Movement 2017 was right after I had a weird tonsil issue, so my throat was still sensitive and I was prone to frequent coughing. So I needed to hydrate with a lot of water. Consequently, this also meant I had to use the restroom quite frequently. Neglecting either of these physical need would have put me in greater discomfort and reduced health.

Investing in the wrong places

I want to make this point with my own experience, which could be completely different from your own results.

At this point, I have very little booth and sponsoring experience with conferences: I've had a booth at two Podcast Movements. But what I'm about to share is more a reflection on me, my business, and what I have to offer. So this is not about the potential value of sponsoring in general, or of sponsoring Podcast Movement.

That said, I now realize it was a mistake for me to sponsor with a booth at Podcast Movement. This is because I realized it's not a good fit for me. I think the advertised cost for my little kiosk was $1,800. Add to that the expense of getting banners made and my investment was a little over $2,000.

I loved having a place where people knew they could almost always find me. But it became more of a burden that meant I had to be there almost the entire time.

At least this year, I had fellow Podcasters' Society expert Erik K. Johnson (also host of The Podcast Talent Coach and cohost of Podcast Review Show) helping me with the booth, and that was a wonderful relief when I needed a break or it was time for my session. And Erik did a great job representing Podcasters' Society and My Podcast Reviews.

So why was this the wrong investment for me?

Having a booth is great for brand awareness. But I realized that I don't need to raise awareness for Podcasters' Society (maybe for My Podcast Reviews). If the only people who joined Podcasters' Society were people, like you, who already follow me or the other experts, then it would still be a success. In fact, I'd rather have you join than some random stranger who doesn't already know me or the other experts. Thus, I did not and do not need to raise awareness to strangers. It would be far better for me to better market to the audience I already have.

Having a booth is also great when you need a “home base.” This is great for live-streaming, demonstrations, and even some kinds of interviews. This one aspect was, indeed, good for My Podcast Reviews, which speaks for itself better in a demonstration than my marketing material does. But that's a product available for free or as little as $5/month (depending on your needs).

So to earn back the $2,000 investment, I would've needed about 50 podcasters to join the $5 plan and stay for at least a year. The investment would be easier to earn back from new Podcasters' Society members, but that's still something I could more effectively promote to my existing audience and probably get better results.

Plus, I think that $2,000 could have been better invested into many other ways to improve my marketing or even my products themselves, and the returns would have been greater.

So, for me, my business, and what I had to offer, a booth was the wrong investment. I spent under $200 to buy a meal for all my present Podcasters' Society members, and I think that was a far more worthwhile investment into relationships, even though they were relationships that I already had! (I'm guessing each person who joined us for breakfast feels a little more connected and maybe even more loyal after that.)

But your situation could be completely different. For example, companies like Libsyn, Blubrry, and Spreaker had much greater potential to reach their existing and potential customers through a booth.

It could also be that you do need to raise awareness to strangers or have a “home base” for your operations.

And it could even be that while bag inserts were a good investment for me, they might not be for you.

The real unfortunate thing about this is that you might not know the right answer for yourself, unless you either invest and learn the hard way, or hire an experienced consultant to save you before you invest further.

Investing could also mean your time.

I think it can be easy for anyone—introvent or extravert—to spend most of their time with people they already know. It's certainly good to invest in those relationships to continue growth. It's also good to invest in new relationships or seek to grow shallow relationships into deeper ones.

You might also find you get more or less benefit at an event by investing most of your time with a small selection of vendors instead of trying to see them all. For example, at NAB Show 2016, I ended up speaking with very few companies: Sennheiser, Adobe, Electro-Voice, and a couple others. I could have spent only a day at the event with only those few companies, and I think it would've been a good investment.

On the other side, you might overinvest into one particular vendor and miss a bunch of other opportunities.

So, again, you have to figure out what the right investment will be for you.

Taking too much stuff

I've learned to pack light when it comes to clothing. (At many events, you could go half-naked and return with a new wardrobe! At least a wardrobe full of T-shirts.) But when it comes to technology, I tend to overpack. At least I didn't have to lug around my notebook PC, thanks to my lightweight iPad and keyboard.

Since I was trying to do too much at Podcast Movement, I took a DSLR camera, tripod, wireless microphone, and even an LED light panel and reflector! How much of that did I actually use? NONE OF IT!

I could have used all that gear if I had planned better and didn't overcommit.

I remember my first BlogWorld and New Media Expo (RIP). I took four boxes of business cards!

This also applies to how much you're carrying around during the event. Do you really need to carry a bunch of gear, marketing materials, or tech if most of your time will be spent in sessions or conversations?

Shying away from conversations

And speaking of conversations, that's often where the most value and long-term impact can be from events. One of the most disappointing things someone could say to me after an event is, “I wanted to talk to you, but it looked like you were busy or I didn't want to interrupt.”

YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO INTERRUPT!

Events are full of good networkers. These are the kinds of people who, when they see someone standing nearby, waiting for someone, will expand the circle of people to invite that person into the conversation. I'm trying to practice that myself.

The other mistake in shying away from conversations is in being literally shy. Maybe the person you want to meet is a celebrity to you. Please don't let that stop you from meeting them! They may have only a small amount of time and no relationship may come from your meeting, but you should still try to get what you can.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/avoid-these-mistakes-if-you-go-to-events-tap321/feed/6Attending events relevant or beneficial to your podcast can hold exciting opportunities—unless you make these mistakes.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher321Avoid These Mistakes If You Go to Eventsclean36:58What Is Podcasting PROFIT? – TAP320https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-is-podcasting-profit-tap320/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-is-podcasting-profit-tap320/#commentsTue, 29 Aug 2017 12:00:40 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13779

To “profit” from your podcast means money to many people. But I think “PROFIT” stands for something more, and every podcast needs it!

Make PROFIT stand for something

I like the profound philosophical sound of that headline, but I also mean that PROFIT is an acrostic for the different types of profit a podcast can bring:

Popularity

Relationships

Opportunities

Fun

Income

Tangibles

Thus, profiting from your podcast can mean much more than merely making money.

Furthermore, PROFIT isn't only about what you gain from your podcast, it's also about what your audience gains. What's in it for them?

Thus, as I talk about what PROFIT is, think about it from the perspective of what you gain and what you give.

Popularity

Some people enjoy fame. With popularity often comes influence, the ability to affect people's thinking.

A podcast can certainly help you become popular. After all, you're the one with the microphone and audience! Whether your audience is tens of people or thousands of peoples, you can be popular and be looked up to by your followers.

But how do your podcast help your audience get popular? How do you help them influence others (for good, I hope)?

Relationships

When most people reach the end of their lives, you hear them talk about their relationships. When many people reach success, they credit their relationships. And when many people struggle, they depend on their relationships.

You usually can't put a price on a relationship—almost any relationship!

Podcasting can introduce you to some of your best friends. Podcasting can connect you with partners who can help boost your business or push you toward your goals. And podcasting can give you friends around the world. I know because podcasting has done all that for me, too.

Yes, podcasting can make competitors from some friends, but your maturity can make your relationships stronger than that.

What kind of relationships do you appreciate now that you couldn't have had without your podcast?

Now, think about how your podcast helps your audience improve their relationships. Maybe you become their one friend. Maybe you give them the courage to do what's right in their relationships. Maybe you distract them from relationships long enough that they can refocus with a new perspective.

Opportunities

Dave Jackson's School of Podcasting has a frequent segment called, “Because of my podcast.” The answers are always amazing! Because of their podcasts, I've seen people get their dream jobs, get to travel abroad, get to try interesting things, get to attend exclusive events, and more.

How do I get to speak at podcasting and social-media conferences all over? Because of my podcast.

How have I had the opportunity to interview some celebrities? Because of my podcast.

How have I been featured on local TV and heralded as an industry expert? Because of my podcast.

I don't share this to brag, but to give you a glimpse of what's possible.

None of these opportunities happened overnight. Most of them happened after years of consistent persistence. And most of them happened because of relationships.

What opportunities has your podcast created for you? And how can you help create amazing opportunities for your audience?

Fun

Yes, fun is a way to profit. You can make people laugh or cry; you could help them focus or get distracted when needed; and you can give them, and yourself, something to look forward to.

Having fun is a totally acceptable reason to podcast. For you and any possible cohosts to have fun and invite your audience to have fun with you.

And fun, like all these other aspects of PROFIT, is not exclusive of the others. You can have fun and monetize. You can have fun and create opportunities.

Income

Yes, money. Although I recommend everyone to find the PROFIT in their podcasts, that's not always money. And money should almost never be the main goal.

It's only a minority of podcasters who can attribute their entire income to their podcast, especially so direct that if they stopped podcasting, their income would cease. Even successful podcasters like Pat Flynn or John Lee Dumas earn the majority of their income from outside their podcast, but their podcast does bring the audience.

I often see polar opposite ideas in podcasting: either that income is evil and should never be considered, or that income is the primary goal. I think both of these ideas are wrong.

A hobbyist podcaster isn't concerned with getting a paycheck from their podcast (if they are, then I'd say they're no longer a hobbyist!), but they also shouldn't undervalue themselves or others.

A business-oriented podcaster might be obsessed with monetizing their platform, but they should focus on delivering real value.

There are plenty of ways to make money from podcasting: direct and indirect. But have you considered how your podcast can help your audience with their own income? Maybe you save them money. May you help them spend money on better choices. Maybe you help them be more productive so they can become indispensable. Maybe you help change their mood so they're able to serve others better within their jobs.

Tangibles

The final type of profit is the kinds of things you might normally have to pay for but is loaned or given to you because of your podcast. For example, movie passes, free travel, products to try (and sometimes even keep), and more!

Despite what you might think, this type of profit is often not exclusive to the most popular podcast, but it's more about relevance and quality. For example, audio-gear companies frequently let me borrow or even keep gear to test, review, provide feedback on, or simply use.

This kind of profit takes time because you have to build a reputation. Stick with it and you could someday have more offers than you can handle! Look back to “How to Get Press Access for Your Podcast” (episode 313) for some more about positioning your podcast to receive such tangibles.

YES! You must PROFIT!

I think PROFIT is possible and even necessary for every podcast. Without PROFIT for you and your audience, what's the purpose of your podcast?

These 6 types of PROFIT are part of the 5 cornerstones of a great podcast: content, presentation, production, promotion, and PROFIT. That's what Podcasters' Society is all about: helping you improve your podcast so you can PROFIT (even if that's without income)!

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Joe Shortridge (“Toledo Joe”), from the USA and cohost of 222 Paranormal, wrote, “I am always scanning the podcast to learn more. I landed on your podcast and a ray of light shined through the roof and landed on my computer. LOL This by far is the best and most informative podcast out there. Thank you so much for all your help. Keep up the great work. Oh and your episodes on security made me go back and change a lot of things. I didn't realize how many things I was doing wrong. Oh and I did have a file in my comp called Passwords, ….”

Philip Wilkerson (“illphil500”), from the USA and host of Positive Philter, wrote, “… each episode provides me with at least one tangible action step that I can use. …” Read the full review.

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

Recording audio or video podcasts at an event can present many challenges. Here's the onsite podcasting equipment I recommend to make your production great!

No one expects studio quality

Events are noisy, but that's okay for your podcast as long as the primary voices can be heard and understood above the noise.

You don't have to run noise removal. When your audience knows the context of the recording, they'll be more forgiving of a difference in quality. You don't have to apologize for it or explain it; saying simply, “I'm at [event] …,” is usually enough for your audience to understand the context and adjust their expectations accordingly.

Assuming that you'll be in a noisy environment, the biggest things that will affect your podcast are your microphone's pickup pattern and your own mic technique.

The closer you are to the microphone and the more you stay within its pickup range, the more it will pick up your voice over the background noise. So ensure you always have the microphone pointed at you, and that you're as close as possible.

Whatever podcasting equipment you choose from my following recommendations, test it and familiarize yourself with how to use it before you take it to an event. The worst audio I've ever recorded happened when I used someone else's gear at CES and the system wasn't configured properly, so my recordings had such horrible preamp hiss that it was impossible to edit out.

Cringe with me at this horrible audio:

Simple: handheld recorder

A handheld recorder like the Zoom H1 or Tascam DR-22WL is small enough to fit in your pocket, but has built-in microphones good enough for using almost anywhere!

When I attended the NAB Show in 2016, I used a Zoom H1 as my handheld interview mic and I was very pleased with the results! With a windscreen and mic flag, it didn't even look like I was holding a tiny recorder.

Here's an example video (no noise reduction was done on this):

The microphones on the H1 and DR-22WL are condensers, but that doesn't mean they pick up more noise (that's a common misconception). The microphones are directional, so they do well to pick up the audio directly in front of the and reject more of the surrounding audio.

A handheld recorder like this can also work for video, as you saw me accomplish, but it means having to synchronize your separately recorded audio and video, which can complicate your workflow.

Higher quality: handheld mic and recorder

For higher quality, a more professional look, and more comfortable performance, consider a handheld interview mic connected to a recorder.

At NAB Show 2015, I borrowed a Sennheiser MD46, which is one of my two favorite handheld interview microphones! It has a long handle, internal shock protection, and it's more directional with its cardioid pickup pattern. This video demonstrates how I used it and the results I got:

That video also shows my other recommendation: the Tascam DR-10x plug-on XLR recorder. This recorder connects directly to your microphone, so you still have the cord-free freedom of a digital audio recorder, but with a fantastic microphone attached.

Another great microphone is the Electro-Voice RE50N/D-L. Like the Sennheiser MD46, this microphone is XLR and has a wonderfully long handle, but it's omnidirectional, so it's more forgiving if you're not good at pointing an interview microphone back and forth.

A long handle is really nice for single-mic interviews because your arm doesn't have to work as much and pointing the microphone back and forth could be a simple turn of your wrist. Watch how much I have to move my arm in the above Pilot Fly video compared to the DR-10x or EOS 70D videos.

Like a handheld recorder, using a plug-on recorder with a handheld mic can work for video (as you saw me do in the Tascam DR-10x video), but it still requires manually synchronizing the audio.

Sit-down discussions: mics, recorder, and headphones

The previous two options are great for “record and run” interviews where you have to move around a lot. The simple and compact solutions make the gear extremely portable, but do require some skill.

If you're going to an event where you'll be mostly stationary, such as having a booth or other designated recording area, you can use more versatile options.

I recommend the Zoom H5 or H6, or the Sound Devices MixPre-3 or MixPre-6. These recorders are good enough for directly connecting multiple microphones. You could optionally add a headphone splitter and a pair of headphones for each participant, which would help them stay on mic.

Then, your microphones could be almost any XLR mics with a reasonable desktop stand. I like that the repackaged Samson Q2u microphone (which is very similar to the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB or AT2005USB) now includes a riser for their tiny desktop mic stand. A couple of these, cables, and your recorder can easily fit in a small carrying case.

Video interviews: camera, mic, wireless system

Everything gets more complicated when you add video because it's another dimension to your recording.

All of the above methods could work with video, but they would each require synchronizing the audio. So if you can afford it, I highly recommend upgrading to a wireless system so you can record your audio directly into your video camera.

The Filmmaker kit includes a transmitter and RØDE's fantastic LAVALIER mic. That's great for solo video shooting in a controlled environment, but it's not very good for events, especially for interviews. Thus, I prefer the greater versatility of the Newsshooter because it's a plug-on transmitter for XLR microphones. Thus, you could get the Sennheiser MD46 or Electro-Voice RE50N/D-L and wirelessly transmit the audio from the great interview mic directly into your camera. This makes postproduction significantly easier!

When you do this, I recommend you turn your camera's input level to one notch above completely off, and then let the RØDELink's higher-quality preamps do the work to amplify your audio.

The next time I do video interviews at an event, you'll see me using an Electro-Voice RE50N/D-L, transmitting through a RØDELink Newsshooter into my Canon DSLR or a Sony Mirrorless camera.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Mark Struczewski, from the USA and host of The Mark Struczewski Podcast, wrote, “In early July 2017, I decided to join the podcast movement but had no idea how. So, I went to my iOS Podcast Player and searched “podcast” and Daniel's is one of the first ones that popped up. In just a few weeks and after about 10 episodes, I've learned so much. … Because of Daniel, my show notes are not boring. They are more detailed …. More than anything, Daniel has given me the confidence to create The Mark Struczewski Podcast (which is about taking your productivity to the next level). …” Read the full review.

David Caddy (“DustyStripes”), from Australia and cohost of Tangential Soup, wrote, “I discovered the Audacity to Podcast six months ago when I was gearing up to start my own. I've been an avid listener ever since and have caught up on plenty of the back catalog … . Daniel regularly shares words of wisdom from his years of casting experience and his passion is infectious. … The episode discussing loudness levels has proven especially invaluable in improving the quality of my podcast.” Read the full review.

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/best-podcasting-gear-for-event-interviews-tap319/feed/0Recording audio or video podcasts at an event can present many challenges. Here's the onsite podcasting equipment I recommend to make your production great!Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher319Best Podcasting Gear for Event Interviewsclean32:25What Does It Take to Make Your Podcast Better? – TAP318https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-does-it-take-to-make-your-podcast-better-tap318/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-does-it-take-to-make-your-podcast-better-tap318/#commentsTue, 15 Aug 2017 14:36:53 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13727

If your podcast isn't improving, it might be stagnating. This can hurt your growth and your potential. Here's what you need to improve!

If you want to make your podcast better, the best way I know (because I designed it for this) is to join Podcasters' Society. It reopens this week!

Change

Getting better means something has to change. That could mean adding, removing, or improving any aspect of your podcast.

Consider a marriage. The relationship won't get any better unless the husband or wife change in some way. That could be accepting something that's unchangeable, or it could be changing something that's unacceptable.

Doing the same things the same ways won't give you different results.

Intention

“Practice,” alone, doesn't “make perfect.” Consider a starting pianist learning their scales. They could keep messing up at the same place for a mystical 10,000 hours and still never get better at their scales.

To improve, you must be intentional. Yes, it's possible to accidentally do something better, but repeating that requires intention.

Humility

Contentment is important, and I think humility is a type of dissatisfaction about your present place while acknowledging that there is something better.

The person who thinks they can't be any better than they are has simply reached the edge of their own knowledge and can't see there's more beyond their limits.

Patience

There's no magical “10,000-hour” rule. Improving, changing, and growing all take time. You might try something new with your podcast and not see results for several weeks or even months.

I remember getting both excited and discouraged when I earned my first few dollars in Amazon affiliate income. It was so minuscule that it didn't seem worth it. Now, many years later, my Amazon affiliate earnings are very important to my business's income. If I had given up then, my business couldn't be where it is today. (That actually applies to many aspects of my life.)

Curiosity

I think the core quality of self-improvers is curiosity: a drive to try new things, discover alternatives, and test the limits. Perhaps that's innate, or maybe it's fostered.

Investment

Making anything better requires investing resources. Making your podcast better may take time or money; one often counterbalance the other. You can invest money to upgrade your tools, hire help, or invest in marketing and potentially see quick results. Or, you can invest time to learn or do things yourself.

I can hold a dollar in my hand for 20 years and—unless that dollar is a collectible—it won't increase in value or given me a greater return later.

Critique

A painful part of growing and improving is some necessary negativity. You may not like hearing that you wasted time in your podcast, something failed, or that something isn't as good as you thought it was. But such critiques (even from harsh criticisms) are necessary to find exactly what needs to be fixed.

Other people

Lastly, but certainly not least important, you need the perspectives of other people. Going back to a marriage example, I can think I'm the best husband in the world and truly believe I'm doing nothing wrong. But what does my wife think?

We each have faults we can't see. So we must be grateful when others point out our blindspots, because they see something we might have never seen.

Oh, I have countless times where I've said or done something I thought was acceptable (or had no reason to think it wasn't), but someone else had the courage and kindness to share a truth I didn't know.

You don't have to be perfect!

I've listed several things I think are required to make your podcast better. I don't think you must have all of these things, but it's certainly easier to change when you have more of them.

But perfection is the goal you should never have because it's impossible to reach! Yes, there will be flaws and there will always be ways you could be better. The maturity in all this is in recognizing your shortcomings and working on what you can.

And if you need help to improve and grow your podcast, I think there's nothing better than Podcasters' Society! Check out my new promotional video!

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Jonathan Bloom, from the USA and host of FrazlCast, wrote, “I met Daniel J. Lewis years ago at a local event. Since then I started up my new podcast, FrazlCast, and each time I've had a question—Google has brought up his show each time. There is a reason, Daniel explains things in a simple to understand, yet deep way.”

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-does-it-take-to-make-your-podcast-better-tap318/feed/1If your podcast isn't improving, it might be stagnating. This can hurt your growth and your potential. Here's what you need to improve!Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher318What Does It Take to Make Your Podcast Better?clean24:453 Options for Minimal and Portable Podcasting Gear – TAP317https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/3-options-for-minimal-and-portable-podcasting-gear-tap317/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/3-options-for-minimal-and-portable-podcasting-gear-tap317/#respondTue, 08 Aug 2017 12:00:51 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13669

You may not need to spend thousands on multiple pieces of audio equipment to get a good-sounding podcast. Here are modern solutions.

Audio equipment has significantly matured since I first talked about bare minimum equipment in my early few episodes. Back then, I still recommended a microphone and mixer. Today, the options are a lot simpler and more versatile!

IMPORTANT: Preorder The Messengers: A Podcast Documentary

I believe anyone can share a message to change the world, and podcasting is the best way to do that! That's why I'm so excited about The Messengers: A Podcast Documentary. Please preorder your own copy so we can get the movie to #1 in iTunes and show the world the power of podcasting!

Basic: solo and VoIP

In the simplest form, all you need to make an audio podcast is a microphone and recorder. You could use the mic built into your smartphone (which is better than the mic on a phone headset). With some good technique and a low-noise, low-reverb environment, you can get decent results.

But if you want to be serious about your show, I really recommend you get a dedicated microphone. For starting out, I recommend the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB.

While this certainly is the best USB microphone, I think it's the best for most starting podcasters (and a better choice than the Blue Yeti or Snowball).

It's USB for connecting directly to your computer

It has a built-in 3.5 mm headphone jack for monitoring your own voice. And if you set your PC's output to the ATR2100-USB, you'll hear audio from your USB through the same headphones.

It sounds good.

It's a cardioid mic, so it picks up less side audio.

It also has XLR so that if you ever upgrade to professional audio equipment, you don't have to throw away your mic.

Because of that lifetime warranty, I still think the ATR2100-USB is a better choice than alternatives. But sometimes, the nearly identical Audio-Technica AT2005USB or Samson Q2u are more affordable or available in other countries.

With nothing but this microphone and your computer or mobile device (with a USB adapter), you can easily record solo shows. Many apps and services, such as Ringr, Zencastr, Ecamm Call Recorder for Skype, Pamela, and such will let you record both your own voice and a remote participant—even into separate tracks!

It's possible to combine multiple USB microphones, especially with Spreaker Studio for Windows and macOS, but this gets more complicated and it's when you would want to consider further upgrades.

Intermediate: multiple people and same location

When you need to start mixing multiple participants, especially in the same location, that's exactly what a mixer is for.

But mixers often come with complications, such as routing and recording. Plus, low-cost mixers mix all channels together into a single stereo channel, so you can't take advantage of multitrack recording.

That's why a mixer might not be the best next step. Instead, consider a professional digital audio recorder. I recommend the Zoom H4n Pro or especially the Zoom H5 or Zoom H6.

These devices are actually simple enough that you could record directly into them with their own built-in microphone or included mic capsule. You can even use them as a USB microphone connected to your computer or mobile device (Elsie Escobar, cohost of She Podcasts and The Feed – The Official Libsyn Podcast, does this for her podcasting)!

But where the H4n Pro and especially H5 and H6 stand out as an intermediate solution is that you can connect multiple XLR microphones (as well as 1/4″ or 3.5 mm lines) to mix and record in multitrack—without a computer! Plus, these recorders can be powered via batteries or an AC power adapter, so you can have extreme portability and a small physical footprint.

There's a whole lot these recorders can do, especially the Zoom H6. So I'm thrilled to announce the availability of my new Zoom H6 for Podcasters course! This is designed for the H6, but most of the information is applicable to the H5 as well. This course teaches all about configuring the H6 for podcasting, choosing the right mic capsule, and even shows how you can accomplish multiple mix-minus outputs without a mixer! Zoom H6 for Podcasters will be available on August 15, 2017, for only $79, but you can preorder it before its release and save $10!

Advanced: high versatility and portability

If you want much more versatility in your podcast setup, but you still don't want to compromise portability, a new champion option has arrived!

The Sound Devices MixPre-3 and MixPre-6 do come with a high price: $649 and $899, respectively. But one of these could easily replace a mixer, multitrack digital audio recorder, multitrack USB audio interface, and multichannel analog limiter! Thus, it's the about the same value, but the MixPre-6 still packs more features. And their physical footprint is almost as small as a book! I recently got to borrow and record a video review of a MixPre-6, and I think the MixPre-6 and MixPre-3 are almost perfect! With a few tweaks (that could be very likely), I might be replacing my Behringer X1832USB mixer, Behringer MDX4600 compressor/limiter/gate, Zoom H4n, and multiple USB audio interfaces with a tiny MixPre-6!

So while the Zoom H6 requires a little hacking to get a mix minus (and I show how to do it in Zoom H6 for Podcasters), the MixPre-3 and MixPre-6 make it easy. And the Zoom H6 can only be either a recorder or an interface, but the MixPre-3 and MixPre-6 can be both a recorder and interface simultaneously!

So for someone like me, with multiple pieces of audio gear, multiple power plugs, multiple ground loop isolators, and a spaghetti of cables and adapters, a single MixPre-6 could connect to my microphones and VoIP devices with ease! The only thing it can't do—that a Zoom recorder can—is be a microphone.

What's right for you?

It's easy to spend way too much money on features you may never use in your own podcasting. (Such was the case for my friend and fellow podcaster from Cincinnati Joe Taylor, host of On Faith's Edge. He recently downgraded from a mixer to a Zoom H6 and has loved it!)

I used to hate getting new shoes when I was a kid. My mom would make me try a pair on both feet and walk around in them. Then, she would have me stand still while she would squash my toes with her thumb as she felt how much room there was to grow into the shoes.

Shopping for podcasting gear needs to be kind of how my mom shopped for my shoes. Consider what you know you truly need and add a little margin to account for a growth.

That's why I will never recommend a USB-only microphone: there's no room to grow! If you have a USB-only microphone, you have to replace it when you want to use professional audio equipment.

These options may not give you the ultimate flexibility of a high-end mixer with multitrack interfacing and recording, but they are great minimums—both in price and size—with room for expansion.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Madalyn Sklar, from the USA and host of Twitter Smarter Podcast, wrote, “Daniel J. Lewis shares the best, most helpful advice of starting, hosting and running your own podcast. I look forward to every episode! He cares about his listeners and is always on the cutting edge of what's new and worth taking notice.”

What if you could learn helpful Twitter tips, tricks & resources that will help you get noticed right now? As a top ranked Social Media Power Influencer, I have a simple goal of teaching people how to “work smarter not harder” on Twitter. Each week I interview amazing movers and shakers in the world of social media and online marketing like Pat Flynn, Mari Smith, Kim Garst, Mark Schaefer, Michael Stelzner, Peg Fitzpatrick and leaders at HootSuite, InfusionSoft, ManageFlitter, Mention and so many more. I’m asking them one simple question: “What are your best Twitter tips?” In this podcast you’ll get the best Twitter information & resources that you can use right now. Join me on this journey where you'll learn what the pros are doing so you can become Twitter Smarter.

Issa, from the UK and host of Young Free and Coupled Podcast(UK), wrote, “As a fellow podcaster and devout podcast consumer, The Audacity to Podcast helps me out doubly! (if thats a real word). Very informative and straight to the point but also extremely easy to listen to. Keep up the good work Daniel, you have helped me so much with my podcast and I will continue to listen when new episodes come out.”

Here at Young Free and Coupled we have a very unique outlook on everything. We take in information, apply our ‘realness' filter, then converse in the most eloquent way possible to you guys! We have been married nearly 10 years, have four children (whom we homeschool), live in hustling and bustling London, and we love to talk. This podcast is our way of putting our unique views out into the world and staying off the beaten track of celebrity news and other fodder out there. That's not to say we don't discuss what everyone else is, just that we extract the hidden lessons and scenarios, and talk about the underlying issues they may provide us.

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Get my new Zoom H6 for Podcasters course!

Learn everything about using a Zoom H6 for podcasting in my new video course. I cover settings, connections, mix minus, USB interfacing, and more!

Zoom H6 for Podcasters will be available for $79 on August 15, and you can save $10 if you preorder before then! If you join Podcasters' Society, the Zoom H6 course is included, along with several other courses, at no extra charge!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/3-options-for-minimal-and-portable-podcasting-gear-tap317/feed/0You may not need to spend thousands on multiple pieces of audio equipment to get a good-sounding podcast. Here are modern solutions.Daniel J. Lewis talks about the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB, Zoom H5 and H6, and Sound Devices MixPre-3 and MixPre-63173 Options for Minimal and Portable Podcasting Gearclean31:26Sound Devices MixPre-3 and MixPre-6 review for podcastershttps://theaudacitytopodcast.com/sound-devices-mixpre-3-and-mixpre-6-review-for-podcasters/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/sound-devices-mixpre-3-and-mixpre-6-review-for-podcasters/#commentsTue, 01 Aug 2017 16:01:08 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13512

The Sound Devices MixPre-3MixPre-6 could be the ultimate device for podcasting to replace your mixer, recorder, and audio interface. Here’s my review.

In 2017, Sound Devices launched two amazing products: the MixPre-3 and its bigger brother the MixPre-6. I think they are almost perfect, but I do have a few disappointments, which I’ll share below!

Before I get too deep into my review, thanks to Sound Devices for loaning me this MixPre-6! I didn’t pay for this, but I also don’t get to keep it. However, I like the MixPre-6 so much that if my disappointments were resolved—which is a real possibility—I would immediately buy my own MixPre-6.

The MixPre-3 and MixPre-6 are very similar with their core features. They both contain high-quality preamps, both record to multiple isolated tracks, both interface with computers and mobile devices as a multitrack input and output, and both the MixPre-3 and MixPre-6 have great mixing capabilities.

For the rest of my review, I’ll focus on the MixPre-6, but most of the information applies to the MixPre-3 as well, with the main difference being fewer inputs and outputs on the MixPre-3.

The MixPre-6 offers 4 combo locking XLR/TRS inputs, two on each side. The Kashmir preamps offer up to 96 dB of clean gain. That’s enough to support a directly connected dynamic studio microphones and record with little to no hiss.

On the right side, there’s also a 3.5 mm stereo (TRS) auxiliary input that makes it easy to bring in sound effects or a podcast guest or cohost from a consumer-level device, such as a PC, smartphone, or tablet.

For outputs, the MixPre-6 offers a stereo headphone out with its own volume control, and on the left side, a 3.5 mm stereo (TRS) line out with a really cool feature I’ll tell you about in a bit.

MixPre-3/6 is more versatile than Zoom H6 and others

Thus far, the MixPre-6 may not seem all that different from devices like the Zoom H6. But here are the amazing features that raise the MixPre-6 above other recorders, and mean it could replace several pieces of audio gear in your podcast studio.

Noticeably first is the higher build quality of the MixPre-6. It has a durable metal shell and corner grips that would protect the MixPre-6 from an impact.

The MixPre-6 can connect with computers and mobile devices as a multitrack audio interface via USB. While other devices may offer similar functionality, the MixPre-6 can interface while also functioning as a standalone recorder. Compare that to the Zoom H6, which can be only a recorder or an interface, but not be both simultaneously.

Multitrack USB interface

The USB interface itself is also quite amazing. When connected to your PC, the MixPre-6 can offer up to 4 audio outputs from your PC to the MixPre-6 and up to 8 audio inputs from the MixPre-6 to your PC. In full 8-track mode, input tracks 1 and 2 contain a stereo mix of everything going into the MixPre-6, and then tracks 3–8 are isolated tracks from the MixPre-6’s own input channels 1–6.

This is extremely handy for podcasting because it means you could connect everything to the MixPre-6 and use the stereo mix channels for live-streaming through your computer or mobile device.

The four USB output tracks can be assigned to any of the 6 channels on the MixPre-6, and you can even monitor all the inputs (yes, even the USB) through headphones connected to the MixPre-6 and see the isolated input levels for all 8 tracks (6 isos and 2 mix) on the touchscreen with a quick tap.

With a little bit of tweaking through software (such as Rogue Amoeba's Loopback on macOS or VoiceMeeter on Windows), you could achieve multiple mix-minus setups for VoIP calls all through USB!

Versatile analog audio output

The stereo line out is also impressive because it doesn’t have to be a simple mix of all channels. You can choose exactly what channels will route to the left or right tracks of the stereo line out.

For example, if I connect four microphones and a 3.5 mm auxiliary input from a smartphone for a Skype caller, I can set the stereo line out to include only those four microphones but omit the auxiliary input! I can even mix the left and right tracks separately, such as putting mics 1 and 2 on the left, and then mics 3 and 4 on the right!

In other words, the stereo line out is similar to the customizable auxiliary outputs of a mixer. This provides enough versatility that you could probably completely replace a mixer with the MixPre-6!

Another way the MixPre-6 stands out is in its analog limiter, which prevents audio peaks from clipping and distorting. Many other devices offer built-in digital limiters, but because of their position in the audio chain, digital limiters are often quite worthless because they still allow distortions. The MixPre-6’s analog limiter, however, was so fast and distortion-free that I could set the gain way too high for recording, but still never clip the audio.

Menus and settings

The MixPre-6 offers basic controls and text entry via USB keyboard or with the Wingman app on a Bluetooth-connected iOS or Android device. You can also use the app to monitor the track levels. The small touchscreen is surprisingly easy to use for navigating menus and adjusting settings. You can even switch the interface mode of the MixPre-6 between Basic, Advanced, or make you own mix of both in the Custom mode.

And if you have settings you use in different scenarios, you can save them to named presets for easy recall.

For powering the MixPre-6, you can use 4 AA batteries with the included adapter; or power via USB through your computer, a hub, a portable battery, or an AC power adapter; or you can purchase additional accessories to use Sony NP-style batteries or adapter for 8 AA batteries.

The MixPre-6 records all channels as a polywave file (that is a single wave file with more than two tracks) and will split them into seamless 4 GB files. These are written to an SD, SDHC, or SDXC card. The position of the SD card slot behind the battery pack is a little strange and inconvenient, but considering that you would probably have this connected to your computer via USB anyway, data transfer is fast and supports USB-C.

Big value in a small form

It’s amazing that Sound Devices has packed so many high-quality features into such a small form. The MixPre-6 is small enough to be portable.

For videographers, the MixPre-6 has the necessary screw holes for mounting between a camera and tripod, and it supports HDMI timecode.

Before I tell you what I don’t like about the MixPre-6, you’re probably wondering about the price.

As of July 2017, the MixPre-6 retails for $899 while the MixPre-3 retails for $649. Those prices may seem high to you as a podcaster, but they’re a bargain for experienced audio professionals, especially with the MixPre-6 having such high build quality. Even for podcasters, it’s a great value, because matching these features would require a 6-channel mixer, a multitrack digital audio recorder, a multitrack USB interface, and a multichannel analog limiter. Add all those things together and you would pay about the same price as the MixPre-6, but you would still be missing some features and the physical footprint of all that gear would be much greater than the small and portable MixPre-6.

Seriously, your podcast studio could be as simple as the MixPre-6, your microphones, and cables to connect. That’s a whole lot better than several pieces of large audio equipment.

Disappointments

All these features in the MixPre-6 make it almost perfect, and I am so close to buying my own to replace my mixer, limiter, recorder, and interface. But in my opinion, there are only three things lacking, and these could even be resolved in a firmware update.

My first disappointment is the lack of a marker. I love that the Zoom recorders can place a mark inside my wave audio files while I’m recording. These show up in a professional digital audio workstation (DAW), such as Adobe Audition, but not in Audacity. I use these marks to indicate known edit points in my recordings, and that significantly speeds up the editing workflow.

On Zoom recorders, placing a mark while recording is a simple press on the record or scroll button, depending on the model. On the MixPre-6, a firmware update could offer this feature mapped to either the record or customizable star buttons.

I’ve come to rely on this feature so much that the MixPre-6’s lack of it is actually a deal-breaker for me.

My second disappointment is that the 8 USB input tracks (that is, input to the PC from the MixPre-6) can’t be custom-mixed like the stereo line out, which lets you assign any selection of channels to the left and right tracks. This could probably be implemented with a fairly simple firmware update. Such custom-mixing would make a digital mix-minus easier, but still not to its greatest potential.

And that leads to my third disappointment: the complication in routing audio to the multiple USB channels. Many recording, streaming, and VoIP apps will let you choose the audio input and output devices for that program, or you can set these at the system level. But most apps and operating systems won’t let you choose the channels on those input or output audio devices. DAWs like Adobe Audition or Audacity will let you do that for recording, but voice apps like Skype, Hangouts, and such won’t let you set a specific channel as the input or output for that app. Thus, input tracks 3–8 are useless for anything other than multitrack recording on a PC because most apps will pull only the first 1 or 2 channels from an audio input device. Skype, for example, gets audio from only channel 1 (the left side of stereo), so even if you could make USB input 3 a custom mix-minus, there isn’t a way for Skype to use it.

Sometimes, you can do this with extra software, such as Loopback or VoiceMeeter, but it’s still a complicated or almost impossible process in some setups.

I think the ideal solution would be to make the input and output channels appear as independent input and output devices instead of a single multitrack device. For example, connecting the MixPre-6 could appear as up to 4 separate audio output devices (mono or stereo) and up to 8 separate input audio devices (again, mono or stereo). This would allow you to target any input or output channel by selecting its corresponding audio device (such as “MixPre-6 mono channel 1”) within your programs.

Fully resolving this would probably require both a firmware update and special drivers, or maybe it would be easier to make a MixPre companion app for Windows and macOS that would create virtual audio devices for custom routing from apps. For example, I could set USB outputs 1 and 2 to be combined as a stereo output device, while outputs 3 and 4 would be separate mono output devices.

If all three of my disappointments could be resolved as I think would be possible and I hope Sound Devices will do, then I would consider the MixPre-6 to be the perfect modern mixing, recording, and interfacing device for podcasters. If that happens, then shut up and take my money!

Another potential annoyance is the position of the small power switch. Being next to the USB-C port, it can be a little difficult to reach the switch when a USB-C cable is connected.

Summary

I’m excited about the amazing abilities Sound Devices has packed into this small MixPre-6, and I hope to someday replace a bunch of my own audio gear with the MixPre-6 and then have greater recording and interfacing features than I have even now, and all in an extremely portable package for about the same price.

With the release of iOS 11, Apple supports new podcasting tags for your podcast RSS feed. Here's how you can start using them today.

What are the new and updated iTunes tags for podcasts?

At WWDC 2017, Apple announced iOS 11 and released information about new tags being added to the iTunes podcasting spec and coming support in the Apple Podcasts app.

<itunes:type> (show/channel level): “episodic” for non-chronological episodes that will behave as they have for years and download the latest episode, or “serial” for chronological episodes that should be consumed oldest to newest.

<itunes:episodeType> (episode/item level): “full” for normal episodes; “trailer” to promote an upcoming show, season, or episode; or “bonus” for extra content related to a show, season, or episode.

<itunes:title> (episode/item level): only the episode title—no episode number, season number, or show title. This can be used with any show and episode type.

<itunes:episode> (episode/item level): any number to indicate the current episode number, which can be relative to the entire show (like “316”), or relative to the current season (like “5”). This can be used with any show and episode type.

<itunes:season> (episode/item level): any number to indicate the season in which this episode belongs. This can be used with any show and episode type.

<itunes:summary> (episode/item level): this updated (but not new) tag is best for a short description of your episode. It will display above the full show notes.

<content:encoded> (episode/item level): this updated (but not new) tag is for your full show notes. It will display below the title and summary.

Using the new iTunes tags in PowerPress

If you're using WordPress with the PowerPress plugin to generate your RSS feed, the following steps will help you enable the new podcast tags for iTunes. You will probably notice red “new!” text next to the new options.

Login to your WordPress admin dashboard.

If you aren't already PowerPress 7.1 or later, go to Dashboard > Updates and update PowerPress (you may have to click “Check Again” if the update isn't listed yet.)

Go to PowerPress > Settings > iTunes tab.

Set “iTunes Type” to “Episodic” or “Serial.”

Then go to the Episodes tab.

Checkmark the new tags you want to use: “iTunes Summary Field” (old, but new behavior), “iTunes Episode Title Field,” and “iTunes Episode Number, Season and Type Fields.”

Scroll down to iTunes Show Type and choose between “Episodic” and “Serial.”

Click Save.

Go to Content and either “Add New Episode” or “Previously Published” to find an already published episode to update.

Go to the Details tab.

Enter your full show notes in the “Description” box.

Scroll to “iTunes Optimization” and enter the appropriate information in the new “iTunes Title,” “Episode Type,” “Season Number,” and “Episode Number” fields.

Enter a one- or two-sentence description in “iTunes Summary” or leave blank to use a truncated version of your “description.”

Click Publish when you're finished editing your post.

Using the new iTunes tags with a different podcast-publishing system

PowerPress and Libsyn are my top recommendations for creating and managing a podcast feed. As other podcast-publishing platforms add support for the new tags, their processes will each be different. However, you will probably see the new tags in these places:

Show-level settings to set “iTunes Type” to either “Episodic” or “Serial.”

You can probably expect to not see these new features in FeedBurner's SmartCast or SoundCloud.

Apple gave enough advanced notice and documentation of the new tags that if your podcast-publishing system doesn't support them by the time iOS 11 is released in fall 2017, then I recommend switching to Blubrry or Libsyn and use my affiliate promo code “noodle” to get a free month.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

David J Harmon (AKA “Graphikos Man”), host of Star Citizen Zone, wrote, “Thanks for help on podcasting, it's a hard world out there to podcast.”

Steve, from the Marshall Islands, wrote, “I am a new listener but have been binge listening. I have been wanting to find information on how to podcast etc. It seemed to be an endless search pulling pieces from several sources. This podcast, and the website are exactly what I needed to get started and motivated to launch.”

Gail L. Nobles wrote, “I love how you explain about niches, profit, and the voice of podcasting. You cover so many things. Thanks for sharing your great knowledge! Thanks for building our confidence, and sharing your ideas and opinions! Audacity is great. Thanks for sharing the meaning of the word! ????????????????”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-start-using-the-new-itunes-podcast-tags-for-ios-11-tap316/feed/3With the release of iOS 11, Apple supports new podcasting tags for your podcast RSS feed. Here's how you can start using them today.
With the release of iOS 11, Apple supports new podcasting tags for your podcast RSS feed. Here's how you can start using them today.
What are the new and updated iTunes tags for podcasts?
At WWDC 2017, Apple announced iOS 11 and released information about new tags being added to the iTunes podcasting spec and coming support in the Apple Podcasts app.

* <itunes:type> (show/channel level): “episodic” for non-chronological episodes that will behave as they have for years and download the latest episode, or “serial” for chronological episodes that should be consumed oldest to newest.
* <itunes:episodeType> (episode/item level): “full” for normal episodes; “trailer” to promote an upcoming show, season, or episode; or “bonus” for extra content related to a show, season, or episode.
* <itunes:title> (episode/item level): only the episode title—no episode number, season number, or show title. This can be used with any show and episode type.
* <itunes:episode> (episode/item level): any number to indicate the current episode number, which can be relative to the entire show (like “316”), or relative to the current season (like “5”). This can be used with any show and episode type.
* <itunes:season> (episode/item level): any number to indicate the season in which this episode belongs. This can be used with any show and episode type.
* <itunes:summary> (episode/item level): this updated (but not new) tag is best for a short description of your episode. It will display above the full show notes.
* <content:encoded> (episode/item level): this updated (but not new) tag is for your full show notes. It will display below the title and summary.

Listen to my episode 310, “Apple's iOS 11, Podcast Analytics, and Podcasting Spec Update,” for more information about these new and updated tags.
Using the new iTunes tags in PowerPress
If you're using WordPress with the PowerPress plugin to generate your RSS feed, the following steps will help you enable the new podcast tags for iTunes. You will probably notice red “new!” text next to the new options.

* Login to your WordPress admin dashboard.
* If you aren't already PowerPress 7.1 or later, go to Dashboard > Updates and update PowerPress (you may have to click “Check Again” if the update isn't listed yet.)
* Go to PowerPress > Settings > iTunes tab.
* Set “iTunes Type” to “Episodic” or “Serial.”
* Then go to the Episodes tab.
* Checkmark the new tags you want to use: “iTunes Summary Field” (old, but new behavior), “iTunes Episode Title Field,” and “iTunes Episode Number, Season and Type Fields.”
* Click Save Changes.
* Create or edit a post.
* Scroll to the “Podcast Episode” widget.
* If you're changing an already-published episode, checkmark “Modify existing podcast episode.”
* Enter the appropriate information in the new “iTunes episode” and “iTunes title” fields.
* Enter a one- or two-sentence description in “iTunes Summary” or leave blank to use your excerpt (if written) or a truncated version of your show notes.
* Click Update or Publish when you're finished editing your post.

Using the new iTunes tags in Libsyn
If you use Libsyn to host your media and manage your podcast RSS feed, the following steps will help you use the new podcast tags for iTunes.]]>Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher316How to Start Using the New iTunes Podcast Tags for iOS 11clean28:00How to Get People to Share Your Podcast – TAP315https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-get-people-to-share-your-podcast-tap315/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-get-people-to-share-your-podcast-tap315/#commentsTue, 25 Jul 2017 12:00:03 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13469

Word of mouth is the best way to grow your podcast. Here's how you can inspire and equip your audience to share your podcast.

Make a great podcast

Nothing else you can do to your podcast matters as much as making a great podcast. If your podcast is horrible, then no one will want to share it, regardless of how easy you make the process.

When people consume content, they're looking for one or both of these two things:

They want to be helped—inspired, educated, motivated, informed, encouraged, etc.

They want to be entertained—humored, amused, provoked, engaged, etc.

If your podcast doesn't do at least one of those things, then you have some important work to do.

Liken your podcast to a restaurant. It doesn't matter how good their branding and marketing are, if the food and service are horrible, no one will want to eat there, let alone recommend it to others.

Your audience might already be telling you how good your podcast is (or isn't) in their feedback or podcast reviews.

Is your podcast actually good?

Ask for shares

This may seem obvious, but it's often forgotten. If you want your audience to do something, you have to ask them to do it!

The first thing to do is make sure you always give value before you ask for value in return.

I think many podcasters can easily fall into giving too many calls to action: subscribe, rate and review, comment, share, donate, support the sponsor, follow some recommendation, and more. So the second thing to do is stop asking your audience for so much. Reduce and simplify the things you want you audience to do.

Of all the things your audience could do for you, telling others about your podcast is usually the best. That will help your podcast grow far more than ratings and reviews.

How you ask is also important. Focus on the benefits your audience can give to others by sharing your podcast. Don't focus on the benefits you get.

For example:

Bad: “Please share the podcast so we can get more subscribers.” This focuses on what you gain.

Better: “Please share the podcast so our community can grow.” This focuses more on growing the community your audience is in.

Write descriptive, shareable titles

As I teach in my SEO for Podcasters course, titles are the most important text on the Internet. By default, titles are what display in and most-affect search results, what show in podcast apps, what display largest on your website, and what share in social networks.

A good title will be three things:

Descriptive—making it clear what the episode (or overall podcast) is about

Compelling—inspiring curiosity to relevant people

Shareable—short and written without first-person pronouns

For example, imagine an episode that seeks to share and review the best vanilla cream sodas.

“Bottle Fights” is cute, but wouldn't describe the episode's contents.

“Vanilla Cream Sodas” is more descriptive, but it wouldn't compel people to click on it.

“My Favorite Vanilla Cream Sodas” is descriptive and a little more compelling, but it's not shareable because the “My” becomes the voice of the sharer.

“The 10 Vanilla Cream Sodas You Should Try” now incorporates all three principles.

Enhance the website experience

A frequently asked question in podcasting is about which link you should use when promoting your podcast.

The most common options are:

Your main website

Your Apple Podcasts / iTunes URL

Your Android subscription URL

Your episode's web page

Your “how to subscribe” page

I think the best strategy is for you to promote all of these with some rotation and in relevant contexts.

But for your audience, the best and easiest thing for them to promote is either your episode directly from their podcast app, or your episode's web page.

You need to make it a positive experience when people visit your episode's web page. There are several ways to do this:

Embed a big, obvious player near the top of the page

Provide a written summary of the episode (no more than a paragraph)

Provide more thorough show notes (such as an outline or article)

Link to the top subscription options

Offer social-sharing buttons

Your primary goal should be to make your podcast's website as easy as “visit website; press play.”

Add the right social-sharing buttons

Social-sharing buttons are now standard for website content. And if you want your audience to share your content, adding social-sharing buttons is the simplest way to make that possible.

Plugins like Social Warfare can give you buttons for Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Email, Buffer, Google+, and many, many more.

At the least, I recommend Twitter and Facebook buttons, as those are usually two most common ways for people to share and engage. Then, other buttons will depend on what fits your content and audience the best.

For example, if you have a creativity-focused site with a lot of attractive images, Pinterest will be really important for you and your audience.

Social Warfare is my favorite plugin for adding social-sharing buttons to a WordPress website, and it has great options built in.

Optimize the social metadata

Don't stop with merely enabling the social-sharing of your content. By default, social-sharing tools will use the web page title, first or featured image, and an excerpt (if written) or the first words of your post. That may not be the best experience for your current and potential audience.

There are plenty of ways to make your content stand out and thus be even more shareable. Using Social Warfare for example, you can do all the following for each post on your site:

Add a custom wide image that will be embedded with your link on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and other social networks

Add a custom tall image that will share to Pinterest, since tall images work best on Pinterest

Write a custom title and description for when your episode is embedded on different social networks (including Facebook, Twitter, and Google+)

Write an optimized message, with possible hashtags and @mentions, for sharing your content on Twitter and Pinterest—a separate message for each!

There are other plugins, such as Yoast SEO and some other social-sharing plugins, that will allow you to set this custom metadata, but I like the way Social Warfare does it best.

Look for other ways to simplify sharing

Whether integrating social-sharing on your site, automating sharing on your own social profiles, or even following up with guests, make the process as easy as possible and appropriate for the context.

For example, if I'm a guest on your podcast, you could send me some suggested messages and link I could share on my own social accounts. Such messages would be best if they are short, written from my perspective, and communicate the reason I think my audience should listen to your episode.

For example:

Bad: “Listen to @theDanielJLewis on the How to Be Awesome podcast! [link]”—This is bad because I would never need to @mention myself in my own message, and it doesn't tell my audience why they should listen.

Better: “I had a great time on @JohnDoe's podcast. Listen at [link].”—This is better because it's in my voice, but it still doesn't tell my audience why they should listen.

Best: “Do you know what the best cream soda is? Listen to us talk about sodas, podcasting, and more on @JohnDoe's podcast: [link]”—This is personal, descriptive, and compelling.

You can offer these as text someone can copy and paste, or get fancy with your own links that will prefill a message from their account.

Within your post, you can also simplify sharing of content from your episode, instead of merely sharing the episode. This could be pull-quotes, images, “audiograms” (short, animated videos with an audio excerpt, such as from Wavve or Audiogram), or other kinds of excerpts.

Whatever you do, remember to keep it simple, relevant, useful, and to not overwhelm your audience with too many options.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Paul C., from the United Kingdom, wrote, “I keep pretty much all Daniel's episodes loaded on my iPod in my car and routinely listen to them over and over again. I'm currently on episode 13 of my own show and still learning new things to consider and incorporate. Daniel has a very patient, clear style which suits me and I rather wish I'd listened to his show earlier! But plenty of stuff to take on board for the more accomplished podcaster too. I now look forward to each new release.”

Steve Higdon (“Katinrok”), from the USA and host of The Insider Threat Podcast, wrote, “Thank you so much for the fantastic tips and strategies that you provide for people trying to improve their podcasts. Without your show, there is no way that The Insider Threat Podcast would have even gotten off the ground, much less experienced the unexpected success that we have had so quickly.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-get-people-to-share-your-podcast-tap315/feed/3Word of mouth is the best way to grow your podcast. Here's how you can inspire and equip your audience to share your podcast.
Word of mouth is the best way to grow your podcast. Here's how you can inspire and equip your audience to share your podcast.
Make a great podcast
Nothing else you can do to your podcast matters as much as making a great podcast. If your podcast is horrible, then no one will want to share it, regardless of how easy you make the process.
When people consume content, they're looking for one or both of these two things:

If your podcast doesn't do at least one of those things, then you have some important work to do.
Liken your podcast to a restaurant. It doesn't matter how good their branding and marketing are, if the food and service are horrible, no one will want to eat there, let alone recommend it to others.
Your audience might already be telling you how good your podcast is (or isn't) in their feedback or podcast reviews.
Is your podcast actually good?
Ask for shares
This may seem obvious, but it's often forgotten. If you want your audience to do something, you have to ask them to do it!
The first thing to do is make sure you always give value before you ask for value in return.
I think many podcasters can easily fall into giving too many calls to action: subscribe, rate and review, comment, share, donate, support the sponsor, follow some recommendation, and more. So the second thing to do is stop asking your audience for so much. Reduce and simplify the things you want you audience to do.
Of all the things your audience could do for you, telling others about your podcast is usually the best. That will help your podcast grow far more than ratings and reviews.
How you ask is also important. Focus on the benefits your audience can give to others by sharing your podcast. Don't focus on the benefits you get.
For example:

* Bad: “Please share the podcast so we can get more subscribers.” This focuses on what you gain.
* Better: “Please share the podcast so our community can grow.” This focuses more on growing the community your audience is in.
* Best: “If you liked this episode and think someone else would, too, please share it!” This focuses on helping your audience help others.

Write descriptive, shareable titles
As I teach in my SEO for Podcasters course, titles are the most important text on the Internet. By default, titles are what display in and most-affect search results, what show in podcast apps, what display largest on your website, and what share in social networks.
A good title will be three things:

* Descriptive—making it clear what the episode (or overall podcast) is about
* Compelling—inspiring curiosity to relevant people
* Shareable—short and written without first-person pronouns

For example, imagine an episode that seeks to share and review the best vanilla cream sodas.

* “Bottle Fights” is cute, but wouldn't describe the episode's contents.
* “Vanilla Cream Sodas” is more descriptive, but it wouldn't compel people to click on it.
* “My Favorite Vanilla Cream Sodas” is descriptive and a little more compelling, but it's not shareable because the “My” becomes the voice of the sharer.
* “The 10 Vanilla Cream Sodas You Should Try” now incorporates all three principles.

Enhance the website experience
]]>Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher315How to Get People to Share Your Podcastclean27:37The 5 Kinds of People You Should Have in Your Circle – TAP314https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/the-5-kinds-of-people-you-should-have-in-your-circle-tap314/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/the-5-kinds-of-people-you-should-have-in-your-circle-tap314/#commentsTue, 18 Jul 2017 12:00:26 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13425

You are influenced by the people around you. So here is who you should have in your circle to help your podcast succeed.

For the geeks, this is episode 314, which is commonly known as pi. Thus, the “circle” theme.

1. Cohosts

If you have one or more cohosts, you need to be friends with them and have connections outside the podcast. This helps with the energy, flow, and experience of your podcast.

Glenn the Geek, from Horse Radio Network, suggests picking the kinds of cohosts you wouldn't mind to take on vacation with you. This is a great mindset because you and your cohost need to have relationship dynamics stronger than those of mere coworkers.

If you and your cohost don't have a good relationship, try to either fix that, or consider getting a new cohost.

2. Audience

The people listening to and watching your podcast should be part of your circle of influence because they should be your podcast's top priority. They can inspire new content, critique new ideas, encourage perseverance, and more.

When you welcome your audience into a circle with you, the stop being merely an audience and start becoming a community.

And remember to never treat your audience as “below” yourself. You are a leader to your community and that could mean being only a couple steps ahead of your followers, not a tyrant lording over them.

3. Peers

It's a huge help to know, talk to, and hang out with others who share your interests. These peers could be fellow podcasters across different genres, but who share the same passion for this method of sharing a message. For example, local podcaster meetups, online communities, events like Podcast Movement (use promo code “noodle” to save 10%!), or Podcasters' Society.

These peers could also be people who participate within the same niche, but who may not necessarily be podcasting, too. Such as bloggers, YouTubers, companies, and such.

But remember that your peers are usually not your ideal audience. This is why it's neither a generous nor profitable idea to share the latest episodes of your podcast with your peers (such as in online communities).

4. Competitors

There are probably other people who podcast about the same topics you do. And yes, I think you should not only allow competition within your niche but also invite your competitors into your own circle.

This requires a lot of maturity on your part and that of your competitors, but it can be profitable for both of you—in opportunities, income, and more.

For example, I consider Dave Jackson a very close friend—and we're actually competitors! But that's okay because we attract different types of people and we have different approaches and offerings. But beyond the details, it's a huge relief to have someone else doing the same kind of thing I do and with whom I can relate in struggles, victories, frustrations, and more.

5. Mentors

Cohosts, audience, peers, and competitors are all mostly on equal levels with you, maybe a little behind or a little ahead. That can be great for encouragement and support. But to accomplish major change and growth, you need people farther ahead of you.

Imagine you're in a pit. The other types of people with you can boost you from the same level to help you out of the pit, but a mentor can reach down from above and pull you out, or see the situation from a completely different perspective and give you better advice.

Mentors could be direct, such as one-on-one coaches and consultants. They could be indirect, such as a speaker or author. Or they could be direct as one-to-many in a coaching group, membership, or some other community under their leadership (like Podcasters' Society!).

You can grow slowly with the other kinds of people in your circle, but if you want to improve and grow more efficiently, then you need a mentor of some sort.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Nick Savides, host of The nsavides Podcast in the USA, said, “I've been producing my podcast for a couple of years now, and there's still so much to learn or update. … The Audacity to Podcast has become my go-to show when I want to get up to speed on a certain podcast topic. I'll just try the search bar on the show's site, and more often than not, Daniel has already released an episode that addresses my question. The show is definitely an invaluable resource to the podcast community.”

Justin K. Hite, host of The Failed Artist Podcast in the USA, said, “Just came across this fantastic podcast, and have already binged on around 5 episodes this afternoon. Daniel does an amazing job of presenting the topics (and the content, info) for all enthusiasts of the industry. This is essential for all podcasters!”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/the-5-kinds-of-people-you-should-have-in-your-circle-tap314/feed/1You are influenced by the people around you. So here is who you should have in your circle to help your podcast succeed.]]>Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher314The 5 Kinds of People You Should Have in Your Circleclean22:21How to Get Press Access for Your Podcast – TAP313https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-get-press-access-for-your-podcast-tap313/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-get-press-access-for-your-podcast-tap313/#commentsTue, 11 Jul 2017 12:00:22 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13412

Press access can get you sneak peeks, free trials, and more value for your audience. Here are 11 tips to help your podcast get these special media privileges.

1. Invest in professionalism

Despite the popular advice, many people do “judge a book by its cover.” Even though this may seem wrong, as creators, it only makes sense to make the “cover” match the quality of the contents.

Look at everything that could give a possible first impression about you and your podcast:

Your logo

Your audio branding

Your production quality

Your presentation skill

These and more things combine to form the brand by which people perceive and recognize your podcast.

It's okay to have some fun and break some rules here and there. And if you want press access, you must demonstrate a level of professionalism that will help others trust you.

You don't have to spend a whole lot of money on this, but you should invest what's necessary to make you stand out—or at least stand close enough to the colleagues in your field.

2. Stay in your niche

This may already be obvious to you, but it's important enough to emphasize. The press access you're pursuing must be relevant to your niche. If your podcast is primarily about video games, it may be difficult to get press screenings for movies.

However, there may be times where your niche is a theme more than a media. For example, my own ONCE podcast covers ABC's TV drama Once Upon a Time. That show is about magic, fairy tales, hope, and other classic stories. So to both my audience and outsiders, it makes sense for the podcast to review movies like Beauty and the Beast, Fantastic Beasts, and Into the Woods because these movies appeal to the same audience and carry many of the same themes.

3. Keep an updated “portfolio”

As they say, “it takes money to make money,” it also takes reputation to build reputation.

When you approach a company and request press access, they will probably want to see samples of your other work, so they can know how professional and relevant you are.

This “portfolio” of sorts can be past episodes or special posts. And you don't need special access to make these things. Review something—maybe even anything—relevant to your niche and do a great job.

As with a regular portfolio or list of testimonials, you want to display your best stuff. So as you get better, update your list so you're always showing off your best work.

And the portfolio can help you reach higher. For example, you may have never reviewed a theatrical movie release, but your DVD and Blu-Ray reviews can help you get there. Or you may have reviews from one field that can help you cross over into another field.

I suggest adding to this “portfolio” often enough that your latest sample is not older than a year. Some places, such as the Consumer Electronics Show, want to see proof that you've been in the space for a while and are staying current.

4. Be timely

When I first got press access to movie screenings for Are You Just Watching? (our entertainment-based critical-thinking podcast for Christians), the representative said movie studios are more interested in getting the word out quickly than necessarily getting it out to the largest audience.

So whether you're reviewing books, movies, products, or anything else, publish your content as quickly as possible. This will not only enable you to help the company spread the word about their new thing (which is the whole reason they would give you access), it also gives you something to promote at the absolute best time to promote it.

5. Talk to the right people

Most big companies already have a process in place to get coverage for their new stuff. They may have a press section on their site, and email list for news and updates, or contact information for media inquiries. In the event you can't find such resources, the next best thing to do is directly contact the company and ask to connect with their marketing department.

The profound truth is customer service is interested in serving customers, sales people are interested in selling, and the marketing people are interested in promoting the new stuff. So it's the marketing team you want.

Some companies will hire a third-party marketing firm. This can often be better for you, because that marketing firm may represent other companies you also want to work with.

If you can find only the name of the marketing firm, you can contact them and ask for who represents the company you're interested in, or even find a specific person through LinkedIn and other social-network searches.

It can also help to talk to others you know have the same kind of access you want. They may be able to refer you to exactly the right person, or find the right person for you.

6. Build relationships

Until you become popular enough for people to pursue you, you have to go out and build relationships. In other words, become known to the company: known for using and liking their products, known for talking about them, known for providing valuable feedback.

To become known, you have to show up and care. So stay connected with the company. If they're at an event you're attending, stop by and chat, even if they have nothing to offer. If they have something to celebrate, congratulate them. If they have news to share, pass it on to your audience.

When they see you engaging with them, it will be easier for them to engage with you.

Plus, don't focus on only relationships with those companies you want access to, start building relationships with the other press nearby. Especially as a podcaster, you may be unique from everyone else covering the same event, and if you build relationships with the others, it could lead to special value for your own audience, or special opportunities for you to get other press coverage.

7. Become a journalist

Companies don't want only opinions, they want publicity, especially to highlight their strengths. Becoming a journalist doesn't mean you have to silence your opinion, be unbiased, or share only the facts. It means being thorough, sharing both sides where possible, accurately reporting the information, and maintaining a standard of integrity.

Along the way, you may need to learn about necessary disclosures. For example, if you're paid for the review, given a product for free, bought the product yourself, and such. This level of transparency, especially when paired with personal honesty, will build trust with your audience and with the companies.

8. Focus on relevance, not numbers

When you're just starting out, you may not have impressive numbers: website stats, podcast downloads, and such. But the raw numbers are sometimes merely a way to filter out the amateurs.

When you can demonstrate professionalism and, most importantly, relevance, your small numbers may not matter as much.

9. Make yourself available

An incredible thing happens with reviews: they compound. When you review one thing, the makers of similar things will often want you to review their thing, too. So you need a process in place for handling such requests. That could be a special contact page, a footnote on all your reviews pointing others to how they can submit something for review, and making yourself reachable for reviews.

As the requests start to come in, it can be tempting to say yes to all of them. But you must remember to stay in your niche and not to overcommit.

10. Respect

Companies are putting a lot of faith in you when they let you review what they offer. So they may impose deadlines, require nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), or place an embargo to prevent information from being released prematurely.

Your compliance with such agreements, legally binding or otherwise, is crucial for both your own reputation and for the company's own success.

Yes, this may mean you don't get to be the one to “break” the story. But a lasting relationship is better than a momentary blaze of attention.

Another aspect of respect is that you are honorable in how you treat the company and their product. Don't damage the product and don't slander. You can be honest about what you don't like, but that's not an excuse to attack the company.

Your mom's advice could be relevant here: “If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.” If you truly hate the thing you reviewed, consider giving such feedback directly to the company instead of broadcasting the negativity to others.

11. Persist

Lastly, you may do all these things and still not succeed in getting press access. But don't give up!

Check in with the company every now and then—no more frequently than once a month. It could be a bad time for them, they could have limited quantities, or they may not have taken the time to consider how serious you are.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Rhonda Orr, host of The Rhonda Orr Show, wrote on Stitcher, “I love this podcast, and I am admittedly not a techie! But Daniel does a great job on his non-technical episodes … dare I call them “philosophical?” … and I enjoy his point of view. They're always worth considering, and I've applied many of his concepts to my podcast, The Rhonda Orr Show. I think my first episode was the one where Daniel said it was cliche to use an image of a microphone or headsets in your cover art. He was right. So I didn't! Thank you for all your advice.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-get-press-access-for-your-podcast-tap313/feed/1Press access can get you sneak peeks, free trials, and more value for your audience. Here are 11 tips to help your podcast get these special media privileges.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher313 How to Get Press Access for Your Podcastclean34:52The Powerful Independence of Podcasting – TAP312https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/the-powerful-independence-of-podcasting-tap312/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/the-powerful-independence-of-podcasting-tap312/#commentsTue, 04 Jul 2017 12:00:20 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13375

While Americans celebrate their independence on July 4, we podcasters can celebrate our independence with every episode! Here's what makes the independence of podcasting so powerful.

Direct connection with your audience

Never before podcasting have you been able to consistently and directly communicate with a global audience using the authenticity of your own voice. Your message is being communicated directly into their ears, and often exclusively and individually.

Additionally, there's no “middle man” in podcasting. Your audience can subscribe to your show from their own location and with their own app preference. They don't have to go to authorized distributors, be part of a membership, or use a particular app.

Even if you never listed your podcast in catalogs, such as Apple Podcasts, your audience could still subscribe directly to your content without needing Apple's approval.

Authentic passion

The written word can be altered and perfected. You can write something, refine it, have others edit it, get an authority's approval, and repeat the process until everything is perfect.

That doesn't really happen in podcasting.

You're speaking with your voice. You can edit or script, but such things are evident in the final results. But you can't edit passion and authenticity. It's raw, relatable, and powerful.

When you speak a message, even if only through audio, others can hear your confidence, your passion, and your skill to communicate. If writing was like one dimension, speaking is like three dimensions!

Power of the niche

I recently spoke about podcasting to a group of IT professionals—most of them above 40 years old. I asked, “How many of you played video games in the '80s?” and most of the hands went up. I then asked, “How many played video games on a computer at home during that time?” and about half the hands went up. I narrowed it down further and asked, “How many of you played on an IBM PCjr?” Then, only two hands were raised.

Up until that point, the response had only been raising and lowering of hands, and maybe some grins. But then I asked those two people, “Did either of you play King's Quest on a PCjr?” And without hesitation, the one remaining person answered, “OH YEAH!”

(Side note, one of my guilty-pleasure podcasts is Upper Memory Block—all about these kinds of DOS-era PC games.)

There was the niche; and with it, the passion! None of those attendees expressed enthusiasm when I asked about video games during the '80s. But when I got into the niche, then someone got excited.

Popular broadcast media is designed to appeal to a broad audience. It has to, or else it won't pay its own bills!

But as podcasters, we can, “Boldly go where no man has gone before.”

You may find a niche and hit an audience ceiling of 100 people. But those 100 people are much more passionate about that niche than about the broad topics. And in that passion is great power: power for intimate connections, power for influence, and even power for profit.

This is how “small” podcasts can have a more loyal following that the podcasts topping the charts. Your podcast may not be #1 in any public ranking, but it could be #1 to your audience.

And that's true power!

Your rules

Although there are some technical rules to follow for your podcast to be compatible, you can set your own rules for everything else. You can say what you want, when you want, and how you want.

You can be as holy or profane as you want. You can be as tolerant or prejudice as you want. There are, certainly, recommendations and principles to consider, but you can make your own rules—or even break your own rules.

(Yes, there may be platform restrictions, but I'll address those later.)

Your agenda

As a podcaster (especially an independent one), you can choose whom you let advertise on your show—or take no sponsorship at all! You can be uninfluenced by the agendas of advertisers, endorsements, networks, producers, executives, and more.

If you want to podcast purely for fun, you're under no obligation to monetize. If you want to be honest about a product or service, you can! If you want to promote only your own products, services, or agenda, you can! It's your show and your agenda!

Portable consumption

There has never been another media you could consume consistently and without interruption regardless of where you go. Download your favorite podcast and listen while you commute, work, relax, shower, fall asleep, and more.

You're not at the mercy of signal strength, local programming, or devices with reception. With a device that can fit in your pocket, you have a world of information available, and you can take it with you wherever you go.

That's what makes audio especially powerful. Video can show you places, but audio can take you there. Plus, you can take audio anywhere you go.

Ownership of your platform

Unlike other forms of media, podcasts are decentralized. Yes, there are big directories, like Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play Music, and such. But those merely point back to your own platform and direct distribution method.

Even if you get kicked out of Apple Podcasts or some hosting service, as long as you own your own platform, you can keep your audience and take them with you. This is because your audience subscribes to your RSS feed, not someone else's. In fact, most podcast apps (certainly all the good ones that are developed by people who understand the podcasting industry) allow people to subscribe to an RSS feed even if the feed isn't listed in any catalogs.

With your own platform, you can change tools without losing the audience you worked hard to build.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

BEFaske wrote in iTunes (USA), “What I appreciate most about Daniel is his willingness to share so much for free, despite being in the podcast business. While he isn't shy about promoting his Podcaster's Society, numerous website plugins, and other revenue-generating offers, I never feel like he is ‘selling' me anything during this show. He has the heart of a teacher and I think it's worth subscribing and listening.”

Amanda Semenoff, host of Overthinking Conflict, wrote in iTunes (Canada), “Having recently launched our podcast, I really appreciated how much of the necessary information was right here. Daniel saved me a lot of time and headaches.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/the-powerful-independence-of-podcasting-tap312/feed/1While Americans celebrate their independence on July 4, we podcasters can celebrate our independence with every episode! Here's what makes the independence of podcasting so powerful.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher312The Powerful Independence of Podcastingclean28:20How to Reignite Your Passion in Podcasting – TAP311https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-reignite-your-podcasting-passion-tap311/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-reignite-your-podcasting-passion-tap311/#commentsTue, 27 Jun 2017 12:00:55 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13352

You may sometimes fall into a podcasting rut and you've lost your passion. Here are 9 tips to help you get out of the funk and back to your podcast!

1. Refocus on your “why”

Why are you podcasting? What's the “profit” in your podcast?

It can be easy for us to get so focused on the everyday of our podcasts that we forget why we wanted to do them.

Your “why” could be to simply have fun. It could be to talk with amazing people. It could be to share the conversations you're already having. It could be to connect with others who share your passions. It could be to build something bigger.

You've probably heard the story of the bricklayers:

A man came upon a construction site where three people were working. He asked the first, “What are you doing?” and the man replied, “I'm laying bricks.” He asked the second, “What are you doing?” and the man replied, “I'm building a wall.” As he approached the third, he heard him humming a tune as he worked, and asked, “What are you doing?” The man stood, looked up at the sky, and smiled, “I'm building a cathedral!”

Now, imagine if the man had asked why the bricklayers doing this. It might go something like this:

A man came upon a construction site where three people were laying bricks for a cathedral. He asked the first, “Why are you doing that?” and the man replied, “Because I was told lay bricks for my job.” He asked the second, “Why are you doing that?” and the man replied, “To provide for my family.” And then he asked the third, who said, “I'm helping to change the world.”

So why are you podcasting? Refocus on that original reason. Or, it's possible your “why” has matured over time, but you've simply forgotten about it.

2. Read your testimonials

It's easy for a negative review or piece of feedback to discourage us. But I suggest keeping a collection of your best feedback. Especially if the praise is a testimonial that supports your “why.”

This could be a folder in your email program, a list of favorite tweets, a tag or notebook in Evernote, or your 4- and 5-star reviews from My Podcast Reviews.

Don't look for pure praise. Look for the transformations you have caused. For example, I have many emails and podcast reviews from people who said I helped them launch their first podcast. Or I revealed a way they could improve. Or I helped them overcome a struggle.

Even if you have an entertainment-focused podcast, you could be the cause for someone's only smile or laughter in an otherwise depressing day.

3. Take a limited break

We're not designed to work without stopping. Our bodies need rest, and so do our minds!

A break could be a season-long hiatus or it could be only a few minutes. The point is to detach yourself from the work and give your brain a rest. This allows you to come back with fresh perspective.

Even in preparing this episode, I took a brief break to reheat some delicious meatloaf for lunch. While I was standing by the microwave, not even thinking about this podcast, two more ideas came to me.

I recommend your break be as away from the work as possible. So you're not simply switching browser tabs, but you're moving to a different place (with or without your computer).

Before you take your break, set a limit on how long it will be and honor that limit. If the break will affect your audience, then let them know about it and tell them when you'll be back.

4. Hang out with passionate people

One of the biggest rewards I get from attending events is new inspiration. Sometimes, that's from stuff I learned. But it's often simply from being around passionate people.

It's best if you can have something in common with these passionate people, but it doesn't have to be podcasting. (Although the best place to hang out with other passionate podcasters is as Podcast Movement! Use my promo code “noodle” to register and save 10%!) You might hang out with others passionate about the subject you podcast about, or it could be something completely unrelated.

Passion is contagious. It can even spread within yourself. If you get “on fire” about one thing, you can often channel that energy into something else.

5. Review your successes

Look back at what you've overcome and what you've achieved. “Success” may not be money in the bank or an award. It could be opportunities you had, episodes you thought went really well, guests you felt lucky to interview, and more.

When you find those successes, think about how you feel when you review the success. Think about how you felt when you reached that success. And then remember how you felt before you reached that success and recognize that you could be only a few steps away from your next success.

6. Be transparent with your audience

When you're really struggling with your passion, it's okay to transparently share that with your audience. Even if you don't ask for their support, you will probably be amazed at the positive response!

Be careful that your transparency doesn't pull your audience down with you.

7. Try something new

Change for the sake of change can be a good thing when you actually need change! You could change your environment, your branding, your format, your approach, or many other things. The change doesn't even have to be permanent! You could tell your audience you're trying something new and get their feedback.

This change could give you something new to be excited about, or it could even remind you how much you liked the way you used to do things.

8. Seize moments of inspiration

You may feel burned out only at a specific moment or even for a majority of the time. But as soon as inspiration strikes, ride it for as long as you can!

This is why I think you should always carry a way to make notes (Evernote is great for this). You could be sitting in a meeting, trying to fall asleep, or working on something else. As much as possible, respectful, and safe, capture that inspiration.

When you can record the idea, you make something to look forward to revisiting.

9. Push forward anyway

Lastly, you may face times where you have to take action despite your feelings. As hard as it may be to start, this discipline can get your brain working and the inspiration flowing. You are, effectively, making a moment of inspiration.

It's like how I felt about baths as a kid: I hated baths! I felt like my mom would have to nag me over and over before I would take a bath. But once I got in and started playing with the bubbles, it was hard to get out! I loved baths!

Momentum is what you need. It may be hard to get started, but once you do, things will get easier and then you may forget about the struggle.

If you find yourself in a rut, consider joining Podcasters' Society! This is exclusively for those who have already launched their podcasts and want to improve and grow through encouragement, training, community, and support!

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Cgcook89, host of Moo Point, A Friends Podcast, wrote in iTunes USA, “… I used a lot of his advice to launch Moo Point, A Friends Podcast, and I am looking at starting in on a second one soon! It's been a blast and I'm glad this podcast helped us get started.” Read the full review.

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-reignite-your-podcasting-passion-tap311/feed/3You may sometimes fall into a podcasting rut and you've lost your passion. Here are 9 tips to help you get out of the funk and back to your podcast!Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher311How to Reignite Your Passion in Podcastingclean30:39Apple’s iOS 11, Podcast Analytics, and Podcasting Spec Update – TAP310https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/apples-ios-11-podcast-analytics-and-podcasting-spec-update-tap310/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/apples-ios-11-podcast-analytics-and-podcasting-spec-update-tap310/#commentsTue, 20 Jun 2017 12:00:45 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13323

At the 2017 Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple announced several big changes that will help podcasters and podcast-consumers. Here's what you need to know.

WebRTC coming to Safari on macOS and iOS

WebRTC stands for “Web Real-Time Communication.” It's the technology that enables many browser-based streaming tools, such as Zencastr, Ringr, Facebook Live, Cast, and even the late Blab.

For a long time, WebRTC has work in Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, on Windows, macOS, Linux, and even Android. But noticeably absent was Safari for macOS and especially for iOS.

Finally making Safari support WebRTC means many of these streaming tools may now be usable on iOS devices! This is great news if you rely on tools like Zencastr, Ringr, or Cast to record multiender conversations with guests or cohosts.

This means, in theory, your guest or cohosts will no longer have to install an app on their mobile device in order to participate in your podcast!

It could even make voice-feedback systems, such as SpeakPipe, work entirely in the browser without the need for apps, plugins, or Adobe Flash!

Redesigned Apple Podcasts app

Apple's Podcasts app on iOS is still the most popular podcast-consumption method by far. With the redesign iOS 11, it will be easier for subscribers to listen to or resume playback for any of the shows on their device.

The interface is simpler, the display of data is smarter, the experience is smoother, and it will be a whole lot better for seasonal or serialized content!

Updated podcasting spec and iTunes RSS tags

Apple has barely updated the iTunes podcasting spec since they created it in 2005. But with the launch of iOS 11, Apple will support several new and updated RSS tags.

New RSS tags

<itunes:type>

This is the only show-level tag (also called “channel-level”) Apple added. It sets the type of podcast you have, either episodic or serial. Apple may add more types in the future.

“Episodic” is the default type and it's the same as what we've been using for all shows until now. This is when standalone episodes can be consumed in any order. “Episodic” can have seasons. With or without seasons, the newest episode will be displayed and downloaded first, with the other episodes listed newest to oldest.

“Serial” is the new type and it's best when your episodes should be displayed and consumed oldest to newest. This is ideal for any podcast that's best consumed from the beginning of the season or complete series. For example, audio dramas (e.g., The Fall of the House of Sunshine), storytelling (e.g., Serial), or sequential parts (e.g., “How to Podcast” with each episode being a step in the process). This also supports seasons. With or without seasons, the first episode will be downloaded and consumed first.

The rest of these new and updated tags are episode-level (also called item-level).

<itunes:title>

This tag is for the title of your episode and only the title. There shouldn't be any episode number, season number, show title, or show abbreviation.

If you use <itunes:title>, it will take precedence over the standard <title> tag for each episode, and that can still contain all the other stuff, if you want.

The purpose of this is to get a clean title for the episode to display differently depending on context and other factors.

For example, if the show type is “serial” and you use seasons, “Season #, Episode #” will display above the episode title, and only the episode number will display in the beginning of the title. But if you don't use seasons, only “Episode #” will display above the episode title, and there won't be a number displayed in the title.

I like this because it makes the display of titles a whole lot cleaner. And for those rare shows that actually need season and episode number information displayed prominently, Apple Podcasts will handle those nicely.

So if this should contain only the episode title, what about those season and episode numbers? That's where the next two tags come in.

<itunes:season>

This tag lets you set the season number to anything greater than zero. Apple Podcasts will group the episodes into seasons and play/download them newest to oldest for episodic show types, or oldest to newest for serial show types.

Apple Podcasts will only display the season number when you have more than one season in your feed. And it displays the season with those episode groups as well as above the title of the currently playing episode.

No matter when you publish an episode in your RSS feed, it will be included with the appropriate season when you use the same season number.

<itunes:episode>

This tag indicates the episode number—anything greater than zero. It's useful for seasonal, serial, and even non-seasonal or non-serial shows.

The episode number will display with and above the episode title when the show type is serial. Otherwise, it will display only above the title when the show type is episodic.

You may initially be discouraged that this tag supports only numbers above zero. But Apple has accounted for that with another new tag!

<itunes:episodeType>

This tag can be set to full, trailer, or bonus.

“Full” is the default episode type and the same as what we've published for years. This would be a regular, possibly numbered episode.

“Trailer” is a short episode that could promote either a season or the whole show. It will be displayed more prominently than the rest of the episodes. This could take the place of “episode 0,” if you wanted to do that kind of thing.

“Bonus” is any kind of extra content for a show, such as behind the scenes, Q&A, extras, or anything like that.

Although Apple didn't clarify, I think “trailer” and “bonus” types will display in relation to their set season and maybe even set episode number. For example, publish a “bonus” episode that uses the same number as another episode, and the episodes may play like this:

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Bonus for episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Thus, I think “trailer” episodes will display before their relevant content: before an entire season, or within a season but before the defined episode. And I think “bonus” episodes will display after their relevant content: after an entire season or within a season but after the defined episode.

Updated tags

Apple also changed a couple tags from previous recommendations.

<itunes:summary>

We've previously been able to use this tag to force different show notes to display in Apple Podcasts. It could support basic HTML formatting (paragraphs, bold, italic, lists, and links), but was limited to 4,000 characters.

Now, Apple says this should be a short description for the episode. Try to make it only one or two sentences and probably 255 or fewer characters.

This will display with the episode as a short description of the episode's contents. It will no longer support HTML. If your summaries already contain HTML, then it will be stripped and ignored.

<content:encoded>

This is a standard RSS tag to contain the entire post. Previously, Apple Podcasts would truncate this text, and that often meant I couldn't display my full show notes. But in the new update, it seems Apple will display this full content below the episode description and player, and it will support basic HTML formatting (paragraphs, bold, italic, lists, and links). There doesn't seem to be a character limit.

I think this brings Apple Podcasts in line with how most other podcast apps display the full show notes. (Overcast will even display images!)

Publishing your full notes in this tag will significantly increase the size of your RSS feed, which could be further reason to abandon FeedBurner and ensure you have proper caching on your site or use a reliable third-party feed tool, like Libsyn.

Clarifications

<guid>

The GUID (globally unique identifier) has been part of the RSS standard for practically forever. I've talked frequently about the importance of not changing this tag, especially when you change domains, migrate your feed to a new host or tool, or switch from HTTP to HTTPS. The GUID for each item is how any RSS client (including podcast apps) will know whether that item has already be loaded.

So you could change everything about an episode in your RSS feed, but if the GUID is the same, the episode will not redownload. The inverse is also true. You could change nothing about an episode your RSS feed, but change the GUID—even by only a single character—and that episode will be forced to redownload.

That's why, for a long time now, I've stressed the importance of not changing the GUID except when it's absolutely necessary to force your audience to redownload an episode (such as when it was so messed up it was unlistenable or unwatchable). But if you change domains, media hosts, feed-creation tools, or anything else about your podcast, the GUID absolutely must remain the same, or else you could force your audience to redownload all your episodes and thus corrupt your stats.

So there's nothing new about Apple's advice to “Assign the GUID to an episode only once and never change it.” And their reason is, “Assigning new GUIDs to existing episodes can cause issues with your podcast’s listing.” Or in other words, cause your episodes to display multiple times. But even more interestingly, they pointed out that it “can cause issues with your podcast's … chart placement in Apple Podcasts.” This makes sense because it means splitting the popularity of a single episode across multiple instances (separate GUIDs), or it means there could be an episode that will seem like it was never downloaded.

Think of it this way. Apple Podcasts doesn't see unique episodes, it sees GUIDs. So it will track the popularity of a single GUID for many years. But if you change the GUID of that same episode, you're starting over with tracking and popularity. It's like throwing the episode's reputation away and starting over from nothing.

While it may be tempting to do some unethical things with your GUIDs in order to artificially inflate your numbers, this will only hurt your podcast in many ways. The only time you should change the GUID is when it's absolutely necessary for your audience to be forced to redownload that episode, and they would be grateful for it (such as to fix a corrupted episode).

Podcast cover art size

During Apple's presentation, they mentioned the 3,000 × 3,000 JPEG or PNG spec for podcast cover art, but they also said, “Under 1 MB.”

Currently, podcast cover art larger than 512 KB in the <itunes:image> tag has caused feed submission and refreshing issues. My theory is that the feeds are processed linearly, and if there's a timeout or error anywhere, it prevents any of the following code from being loaded. Because the cover art is loaded near the top of the feed, a bad cover art file can cause issues with the rest of the feed.

But Apple specifically said, “under 1 MB.” That may not be supported right now, but it makes me think it will be supported with the public release of iOS 11 in late 2017.

I really hope this is true because it can be very difficult to compress some 3,000 × 3,000 images below 512 KB and maintain acceptable image quality (some images compress more easily than others).

Consumption analytics from Apple Podcasts

The biggest podcasting news from WWDC, and what you've probably already heard about, is Apple's new Podcast Analytics coming to Podcasts Connect.

This isn't simply server-side download data we've had for many years (and is mature enough to be trustworthy). But this is specific playback data, limited to Apple Podcasts (and probably iTunes).

Instead of seeing only that an episode was downloaded and how, you'll be able to see how much of the episode was played after the download (or during a “stream”).

Then, this can show you how many people skip ads or segments, when they abandon the episode, and how many consume the entire thing.

You can learn a whole lot from this data and use it to improve your podcasts. I'll talk more about that when we real data from these analytics.

You'll also be able to see how many of your audience are subscribed or not subscribed.

Additionally, Apple will show you the consumption of episodes based on each episodes age, nicely parallel with each other. With this, you would see that one episode reached 500 plays by day 10, while another reached 500 plays by day 6. And these are actual plays since release, not merely downloads.

It also appears you'll be able to filter data by location (probably countries), platforms (probably iPhone, iPad, macOS, Windows, and such), and even “listeners” (probably subscribers versus nonsubscribers, or maybe even demographic data).

There's probably even more we'll be able to see with these stats.

Even though these analytics will be limited to Apple's own Podcasts apps, that represents 60–70% of all podcast consumption (according to both Blubrry and Libsyn), so it's a large enough majority—and the largest single platform by far—that it's reasonable to extrapolate this data to the rest of your audience. However, it's possible (and maybe even likely) consumers outside the Apple platforms are more faithful to podcast consumption than the more general public using and browsing on the Apple platforms.

This is really exciting because it means podcast analytics will now be more accurate than all other media, except for streaming. For example, you can see whether a banner ad displayed when someone loaded a page, but you can't know if the person even saw it. Or you can know how many magazines are sold, but you can't know how many people read them, let alone saw the ads. And you can only assume how many people are watching or listening to broadcast media, but you can't know whether they skipped the commercials.

This is fantastic for content creators as well as advertisers. I believe it will show that dynamically inserted ads are usually skipped; but personable, host-performed ads are usually consumed. I think it will also show people abandon episodes when podcasters overwhelm their audience with calls to action.

And, I suspect, it may even show greater loyalty to smaller shows.

How and when can you use all this new stuff?

Unfortunately, this will require some patience. Developers already have access to iOS 11 and can test the new Podcasts app, but these new features will be practically useless until iOS 11 is released to the public in Fall, 2017, and then as iOS users upgrade.

The top podcasting tools (such as Blubrry, PowerPress, and Libsyn) are already being tested and updated to support these features. So you won't get access right away, but you will probably get access before iOS 11 is released. In the meantime, implementing the new RSS tags won't do anything for you. So please be patient.

The new Podcast Analytics will probably be available at the same time as iOS 11, or shortly after. Apple did say “this year” (2017).

But this does introduce a new problem: how to access your show in Podcasts connect. If someone else submitted your show to Apple, or you lost access to your Apple ID, you may not be able to see these cool new analytics for your show. However, Apple already has a process in place for transferring ownership of apps in the App Store, so I think podcast transfers aren't very far away.

As tempting as it may be to remove your podcast from Apple Podcasts and resubmit under an Apple ID you control, I strongly advise against that, as you would lose all your ratings, reviews, and ranking for your show. So you'll have to simply wait.

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

1. Build reputation in related communities

Many timely things have fan communities all over the Internet: Facebook Groups, Reddit Subreddits, Google+ Communities, and more. Your ideal audience hangs out in these communities, and they may be interested in your podcast.

But don't start spamming a bunch of communities with your self-promotion. That will quickly get you banned.

Instead, pick a couple or few places where you can participate in the community. Post questions, share answers, comment on things. Become an active, contributing member of that community. Then, when it's relevant and appropriate, you may find opportunities to share an episode of your podcast.

Here are a few specific ideas you can use.

When someone posts a question, respond with an answer in your comment, and link to your relevant podcast episode for more information.

If you don't already have relevant content for that topic, incorporate that person's thought in an episode and then share it with them.

If you spot your existing audience members in the community, ask them to become evangelists for you to share your podcast episodes.

When you have something special that truly appeals to everyone in the community, ask the moderators for permission for you to share it. They may even be willing to share it for you!

Share relevant content no one else has shared yet and that's not your own.

2. Participate live

Anything that's live-broadcast, either simultaneously or time-shifted across time zones, could give you a great opportunity to connect with other fans.

Find the official hashtag and participate on Twitter. To make it even easier to join the conversations, use a tool like tchat.io or TweetChat. These will let you see the hashtagged tweets in real time, and respond or post with the hashtag automatically added.

If you already have an audience, you could host your own live chat during the event. That could be powered by your own hashtag or by a chat room embedded on a /live page on your own website. ChatWING, Chattango, Flyzoo, and Chatroll are some chat rooms great for this.

This is especially easy when the event is simultaneously broadcast across multiple time zones, such as with sports. But if the live broadcast is shifted with each time zone, then you need to always be clear what time zone your live participation is in. Due to broadcasting schedules, Eastern and Central usually broadcast together and might have the most audience. More on time zones later.

3. Live-stream after the event

Doing anything live during the event you podcast about could be too distracting for you or your audience, so you may get more participation by hosting a live aftershow. I recommend that be no more than 15 minutes after the event, which is probably enough time for you and your audience to transition.

This could be a great time to share initial reactions, incorporate instant feedback from your audience, or set up conversations that will happen later in the week.

As with participating live, a live aftershow may reach the most people if you host it from Eastern or Central time zones for national broadcasts.

It's especially good to live farther East for such events because you might be able to record and publish your aftershow before Western audiences even finish watching. Then, your episode is already available when the event is over in their time zone.

4. Align publishing with the event schedule

Publishing quickly and consistently are the most important things you can do with a current-events-based podcast. But if you want to incorporate audience feedback, then you'll need to allow enough time for your audience to watch and send their feedback.

It is possible to wait too long, as well. If you publish your episode too close to the next event, then your audience may not have time to listen or watch before that next event is public. Even worse, you could sound dumb if your theories are proven wrong so quickly from your audience's perspective.

For weekly events, I recommend publishing between 2–4 days after the event occurred, which gives your audience 2–4 days to consume your episode before the next event.

If your source events are far less frequent, such as book or movie releases, then you could allow for more time to incorporate feedback. But you'll still get the best results by publishing as quickly as possible because that's when there's the most interest around that thing.

5. Account for other time zones

Whenever you do anything on a schedule with your audience, try to accommodate different time zones as reasonably as possible.

For example, hosting a live stream at 7 pm Eastern may conflict with people still at work when it's 4 pm Pacific. Or a 10 pm Pacific event is 1 am Eastern.

That doesn't mean you can't do anything at those times, only that you should be aware of how such choices may limit your audience's participation.

Eastern and Central seem to be the best places to host a TV-show-fan podcast from because of how most TV shows broadcast to both time zones simultaneously (when you see two times listed, like “8/7 Central”) and because of the population density across those two time zones.

Thus, if your live show coincides with a live TV broadcast, you may get more participation if it's based on the Eastern and Central schedule.

And always include the time zone when you mention a time. You could use either your own local time zone, or consider using Eastern if you're in the USA. That's considered the official time in the USA because the capital is in Eastern Time.

I'm not a fan of giving multiple time zones because people can look it up themselves. If you give four numbers, it's more likely they'll forget the correct one. But if you have an international audience, I do recommend you share the GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) offset for your time.

Unfortunately, GMT doesn't follow Daylight Saving Time (DST), so if your time shifts with DST, you'll have to adjust the offset, too. For example, Eastern Standard Time (EST) is GMT-5, and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is GMT-4.

Lastly, I recommend you also try to be technically accurate with your time zone abbreviations. “EST” applies to standard time, while “EDT” applies to Daylight Saving Time. But if you don't want to mess the DST and GMT, simply saying “Eastern Time” could be enough.

6. Promote quickly

Assuming you publish your relevant episode quickly, you need to promote it as quickly, too! It would also help to promote it for days following the event.

In fact, you could create a recurring schedule for your promotion that could look something like this:

6 days after (day before next event): Encourage upcoming live participation

As you may notice, it's a balance of looking back and looking forward. Yes, that schedule is designed for two episodes per week, but you can adapt it based on your own schedule.

People will care most about your podcast when the subject is already on their minds. So the more quickly you can publish your content about the current event, the more your existing and potential new audience will be interested in your episode.

7. Watch for timely opportunities

The actual event may not be the only opportunity you have to leverage the audience's energy. Watch for breaking news, birthdays, special releases, and other announcements you can use to create or promote relevant content.

Also, the latest event could be connected to something from weeks, months, or even years ago. So this could be a great time for you to promote that older content. For example:

“It's been two years since we've seen [that character]! Here's the episode where we discussed his story. [Link]”

“Happy birthday to [person]! This was our favorite conversation about her: [Link]”

“The DVD and Blu-Ray for [movie] are now available! Listen to our original review: [Link]”

“[Movie sequel] was great! We reviewed it in [link], also hear what we thought of the original: [link]”

Even if nothing is happening around the scheduled source content, you could have some hiatus episodes to feed the fandom. These could share news, spoilers, hindsight on the past year or season, hopes or theories for the future, and more! You could be a hero for keeping the conversation going when your audience isn't getting new content directly from the source.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Scott Orr, host of Code 3, wrote in iTunes USA, “The Gold Standard. I ran into this podcast while I was looking into Audacity compressor settings. I've been podcasting for a while, but I figured I'd give this one a listen. I was blown away by the depth of Daniel's information. He offers easy-to-follow instructions on every part of podcasting, and I found that very useful! When I started my current podcast, Code 3, I put into practice many of the techniques and hints that Daniel recommends. I'm still implementing them…with 300 shows, I have yet to hear all of the advice he has. I've listened to several other ‘how to podcast' podcasts, and this one is clearly the gold standard. Plus, he's a Christian and isn't afraid to say so. Good for you, Daniel. And keep the content coming!”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/7-promotion-strategies-for-current-events-podcasts-tap309/feed/2Podcast episodes about current events (including fan shows) may not have a long life, but you can still use them to promote and grow your podcast!
A current-events podcast might cover news, politics, sports, TV shows, movies, books, music, and such. Essentially, anything that has a schedule and isn't as popular after it has passed.]]>Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher3097 Promotion Strategies for Current-Events Podcastsclean34:426 Ways to Make Your Content Live Longer – TAP308https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/6-ways-to-make-your-content-live-longer-tap308/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/6-ways-to-make-your-content-live-longer-tap308/#commentsTue, 06 Jun 2017 12:00:04 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13272

“Long tail” is when a podcast episode has a long life of relevance and consumption. Learn what you can do to keep your old episodes alive and use them to grow your audience.

1. Create timeless content

If your older content doesn't have continuing relevance, there's not much sense in promoting it. By definition, timeless content doesn't refer to and is not restricted by any specific time. Timeless content from years ago could be equally helpful or entertaining today.

So if you want your episodes to live long and prosper, they must be designed as such.

Think about the movie industry. Old movies like It's a Wonderful Life are certainly “dated,” but the story of love, friendship, and hope will be forever relatable. That's why so many people continue watching it! (It's actually a Christmas Eve tradition in my parents' home!)

Instructional content can sometimes be difficult to make timeless, depending on the type of instruction. If it's technology based, you have to assume it will change someday. But if your instructions are based on principles, they can transcend technologies.

Unfortunately, not all content can be timeless. Podcasts about sports, news, politics, and other current events are inherently timely. Fan content, such as for movies, TV shows, music, and books are part timeless and part timely. If the content you base your show on has its own long tail, your podcast could, too. But the time of that content's release will usually be the best days for your episode about it.

As much as possible, try to keep the bulk of your podcast timeless and then it will actually make sense to promote old content later.

If your content can't be timeless, you might not benefit as much from this episode. But don't fret, because my next episode will be about better promoting timely podcasts!

2. Keep the information updated

As the world and your own perspective change, the information you shared may need to be updated. This form of maintenance is especially beneficial if your content attracts a lot of people from searches.

Updating your show notes is easy, and that should be the first priority. Updating the podcast may be a little more difficult, because you may want to edit in the new information or re-record. But there's a simpler method!

First, as much as possible for instructional content, refer your audience to your show notes for the most updated information. If your instructions have changed enough that your recording may be overly outdated, you could simply prepend an announcement. For example, you could say, “Due to updates, the information in this episode has changed. So please [visit the show notes / visit this updated link] for the latest information.”

If you edit the episode, you'll need to re-upload it, with the same filename, to your media host. On Libsyn and most other monthly-upload-limited services, replacing an old file will probably use up some of this month's upload allotment. But Blubrry Media Hosting offers “Long Tail Podcasting,” which allows you to replace any episode you've already uploaded with another by the same name and it won't count against your monthly limit. (The replacement must be within a 10% difference from the original file.)

If you decide the updated information is important enough to record a new episode, then consider redirecting or at least linking the old episode to the new one.

3. Cross-reference your content

If your content remains relevant to your audience, you should have plenty of opportunities to cross-reference your previous content.

When you do this, don't assume your audience remembers the old episode. You may need to remind them what it was about, quote from it, or mention it as a more in-depth resource. For example, now that I have an episode all about redirects, I can reference that episode anytime I talk about redirects, like I did in my episode 306, “How to Move Podcast Hosts and Your RSS Feed.”

In my clean-comedy podcast, there are certain jokes or stories we reference, and we can tell our listener what episode to revisit to hear that full story.

You can even plan this to your great advantage! Make a “cornerstone” episode (or even a series) that's so focused and core to your content that you reference it frequently. It could quickly become one of your most popular episodes.

Anytime you can get your audience to engage more with your content, and it meets their needs (to be helped or entertained), they become more connected to you and your podcast, and thus more loyal.

This kind of relevant cross-reference also helps your search-engine optimization (SEO) by showing the relationship between high-quality pieces of content. It could also help connect influencers with other pieces of content they may want to share, too, and thus further increase your ranking and reputation!

Whatever you do, don't merely paste the URL in your show notes or link it with simply, “Click here.”

When you reference the old episode within your content, I recommend giving the episode number (if you use numbers) and point your audience to the your current episode's show notes for the link to the old episode. For example, “To hear that story, listen to episode 270, or click on the link in our show notes for this episode at [simple show notes URL].”

4. Add your best episodes to an email autoresponder sequence

If you have any kind of an email list, consider making it valuable to your audience with an autoresponder sequence (sometimes called “automation” or a “series”). This is a series of emails that send sequentially to every subscribe from when they first subscribe or take some action. So everyone receives email 1, then email 2, and so on, regardless of when they're added to the sequence.

You can make these sequences be anything you want, and they can even do some automatic marketing for you! And you can also use this to promote your timeless episodes, especially those that are so far back your audience may have forgotten or maybe never even heard them.

Here's an example of an email I'm adding to my own sequence:

Hi, [First name]!

You may hear people talk about “redirects.” This can be a URL—either memorable or simply hyperlinked somewhere—that redirects people who use it to somewhere else.

The two most-popular redirect types are 301 permanent and 307 temporary. I recommend you use a permanent redirect for anything on your own site, and use a temporary redirect for anything on someone else's site (like /amazon) or that may ever change (such as /live).

If you'd like to learn more about redirects and how to use them, I did an episode all about that!

Sprinkle these kinds of reminders of your timeless content throughout an email sequence and it will help your audience engage more with your older content. It may even point them to the exact thing they needed but didn't know you had!

If you need an email service provider, here are my recommendations, in this order:

5. Automate recurring shares

Automation can save you time and help you engage your followers. It's not evil! For example, if you live-stream on a consistent schedule, why not schedule a recurring message to remind your followers that you're going live and give them the link to join? That will remind them of something they want, and it will save you the time and distraction when you're trying to start your show.

If your content is timeless and thus still relevant today, why not reshare it? This could expose people to content they may have never known even existed. It can also bring new people to your podcast!

I use a tool to automatically reshare my old but timeless content. From my personal Twitter account alone in the last month, 197 people viewed that old content. For 75 of those people, it was their first time visiting my podcast site! And I continue to see results like with almost no extra work on my part.

This works by loading up a queue with compelling messages and links, and then an automation tool cycles through that content, publishing it for me on a set schedule.

Missinglettr—This is a new service I've signed up for. Give it your RSS feed and it will automatically pull shareable quotations, images, and make quotation images. Then, it can create a recurring campaign to share that old information for you. It's like the previous tools, but with multiple messages from and for the same content!

6. Manually repost when relevant

Even if you set up an automation tool, there may be times when your old content may be more relevant. For example, if your podcast reviewed the original Star Wars trilogy, then people might be interested in it when a new Star Wars movie is released.

Or, continuing the movie example, you originally published your review when the movie was released in theaters. Now, it's being released on disc or download, so it's a good time to remind your audience of the original review.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Michael Larsen (“Mkltesthead”), producer and frequent commentator on The Testing Show, wrote in iTunes USA, “Never Too Late to Learn/Refine Your Podcast. Even though I've been podcasting for years in various formats, as the producer of a niche technical podcast, I like to hear of ways/techniques to make my podcast the best it can be. Danel J Lewis ‘The Audacity to Podcast' is a terrific broad brush show that covers a lot of ground. If you are a new podcaster, you will learn so much to get off on the right foot. If you are a seasoned veteran, you will still learn a lot, as there is so much to the process of podcasting, including all of the “isms” and “ities” of your podcast to consider. Thank you, Daniel, I've really appreciated the content. Thank you for helping an old dog learn a few new tricks.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Announcements

My Zoom H6 for Podcasters course is almost complete! I shared the draft preview in Podcasters' Society and already heard from one member, “This is stellar. You're a freaking rockstar dude.” It will be available for purchase soon, but subscribers to my email list will get the opportunity to preorder at a discount!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/6-ways-to-make-your-content-live-longer-tap308/feed/6"Long tail" is when a podcast has a long life of relevance and consumption. Learn how to keep your old episodes alive and use them to grow your audience.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher3086 Ways to Make Your Content Live Longerclean32:19Why and How Your Podcast Needs Loudness Normalization – TAP307https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-and-how-your-podcast-needs-loudness-normalization-tap307/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/why-and-how-your-podcast-needs-loudness-normalization-tap307/#commentsTue, 30 May 2017 14:02:13 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13223

Loudness normalization conforms audio to a perceived loudness level. Learn why that's important in podcasting and how to make your podcast meet the standard.

Why a loudness normalization standard matters

Imagine you press play on a podcast episode. The intro music is a bit louder than the previous podcast you listened to, so you turn down the volume. Then, the main host comes in to introduce the topic, but they're quieter than the music, so you have to turn up the volume. Then, the cohost comes on and they're even quieter than the host, so you have to turn up the volume again or else not be able to hear them.

After a while, they segue into their interview with some bumper music, which is much louder than their voices, so you rush to turn down the volume before you damage your ears. This is a separately recorded interview and you are, again, having to continuously adjust the volume level so you can hear both participants and not damage your hearing.

At last, the podcast is over, but you have to turn down the volume one last time because the outro music is too loud. Then, the next podcast on your player starts playing, and it's too quiet, so you have to turn up the volume again, and the fight continues.

Does that sound familiar? That kind of frustration happens every day and could happen to any podcast—even the professionally produced ones!

That's why podcasts need loudness normalization! This would ensure the only time a listener must adjust their volume is when their environment changes, not when the podcast's audio changes.

This volume-fighting annoyance could be easily solved with loudness normalization in three places:

Within each episode—ensuring the participants and sound clips are all at the same loudness level.

Across episodes—ensuring that all episodes of one podcast are the same loudness as each other.

Across podcasts—ensuring that podcasts from separate creators are all the same loudness.

Loudness normalization solves that by conforming all pieces of audio to the same standard.

How loudness is measured

Perceived loudness is now commonly indicated by “loudness units relative to full scale,” or “LUFS” (pronounced “luhfs”) for short. In the past, it was also called “loudness, K-weighted, relative to full scale” (LKFS), and there used to be some technical differences between LKFS and LUFS. But today, they're essentially the same—so much that whenever you see “LKFS” you can assume it also means “LUFS.”

LUFS are an absolute measurement relative to the full scale of 0 dB. Thus, you'll see LUFS indicated with negative numbers: -16 LUFS, -19 LUFS, -23 LUFS, and such. (You may also hear people abbreviate “negative 19” to “neg 19” in speech).

LUFS are an indication of the unit of measurement, which is actually “loudness units” (LU). LUs are equal units to decibels (dB). So if you need to amplify by 2 loudness units, you would simply amplify by 2 decibels.

The algorithm behind LUFS is designed to measure long-term averages of audio, not mere peaks (like most normalization tools). For example, audio with a loud but momentary peak will barely affect the long-term measured loudness of the processed section. But a standard normalizer would raise or lower the audio so that that peak reaches a target level, regardless of the rest of the audio.

Despite the louder portion in the beginning, this clip's loudness measurement would reflect the majority of the audio.

Loudness normalization is, therefore, the measurement of only the average, long-term perceived loudness of audio. It actually has nothing to do with dynamic range or peaks.

However, the user experience and perception of loudness is made of three parts:

Loudness range (LRA): the statistical difference between loud and quiet over time, measured in loudness units (LU)

True peak: the microsampled level of the loudest point in the audio (more accurate than a normal peak), measured in dB or dBTP (decibels true peak)

Standard loudness-measurement tools will show you those three parts because they help you ensure a fully consistent loudness experience.

For example, audio with a program loudness of -16 LUFS but a loudness range of 20 LU could have so much variation that a listener still has to fight with the volume controls. Thus, the loudness range should be reduced to make it more listenable, and then the whole renormalized to the target loudness.

And although true peak is often measured in loudness tools, it actually doesn't affect our perception of the overall loudness. For example, audio at -16 LUFS with a true peak of -4 dB would sound the same as the audio with a true peak of -2 dB. That's because the peaks are so small that they are usually unnoticed. It's when audio peaks for a longer time that it becomes noticeable. Nonetheless, limiting the true peak reduces the chance for distortion.

The loudness standard for podcasts

Broadcast radio and television generally have a loudness standard of -23 LUFS (gated so it excludes measurement of audio below a reasonable threshold). But podcasts are Internet media and not broadcast radio or television. The technical considerations and environments are significantly different.

Many popular media programs already offer loudness normalization through optional features (such as “voice boost,” “sound check,” and other terms). So when many of the greatest minds in audio engineering and contributors in broadcast standards proposed a loudness standard for podcasts, they align nicely with pre-existing common practices. This not only provides a consistent experience for Internet-based media, it also accounts for the diverse environments people consume Internet-based media.

Thus, we have the standard of -16 LUFS for stereo and -19 LUFS for mono (more on the 3 dB difference in a moment). I've referred to this as a “proposed standard” for many years, but seeing the broad adoption and lack of significant support for any competing proposal, I'm now comfortable calling this the loudness standard for podcasts.

The reason for the 3 dB difference between stereo and mono is because of “pan law” (or sometimes called “pan rule”). This is a mixing and recording principle based on the physics of sound. Pan law is intended to ensure a consistent volume level if you were to pan audio between left, right, or center it across two channels. Essentially, the doubling of a mono signal on most devices will result in a 3 dB increase in perceived volume. You may see this in audio-editing software where converting a stereo track to mono, or a mono to stereo will actually change the waveform, but may not affect the perceptual loudness.

There are caveats and exceptions to this, and it seems the industry of apps and devices may never shift to fully compensate for pan law. Although that's the goal, in the meantime, we should account for pan law by making the adjustments ourselves based on the format of media we publish.

That's why the standard for mono is 3 dB lower than for stereo. Although it will measure lower with most tools (but some tools actually measure mono and stereo to the same perceptual loudness), most apps and devices will play the -19 LUFS mono audio at the same loudness of a -16 LUFS stereo audio. Paul Figgiani has a nice explanation in “Podcast Loudness: Mono vs. Stereo Perception.”

Here are two audio samples you can download and try yourself (right-click to save/download the WAV audio files):

So, the loudness standard for podcasts is -16 LUFS for stereo and -19 LUFS for mono.

In addition to that standard, there are some ideal targets for true peak and loudness range.

I recommend the true peak not be any higher than -1.5 dB. This isn't part of the standard and there no requirement for what the true peak should be, only that it's best that it not go above that limit in order to minimize the chance of distortion.

Loudness range (LRA) is something else to consider, but there's no standard on it, either, only a recommendation.

There are several factors that could require different loudness ranges. Music, for example, is designed with a wide loudness range, and you may want to keep that (especially if your music fades in or out). But there could also be cases in your podcast that you would want the music to not have as much dynamic range, such as when it's in the background and you don't want the strong contrast to conflict with the foreground voices.

In general, spoken word is probably best with a loudness range below 8 loudness units (LU). But consider the cause for the loudness range. For example, you may get emphatic during a portion of your content, and it might be important for the increased loudness to remain noticeable. But if you intend to stay at a consistent loudness and see a high loudness range, you may want to target an LRA below 6 LU or maybe even 4 LU. But if your audio starts sounding overly compressed and almost robotic, then your loudness range is probably too small.

Also, the loudness range could be affected by variations between participants, where one person is consistently quieter than the other. In such a case, it would be better to normalize the multiple sources (whether on separate tracks or within a single track) to the same LUFS target so there's not as much loudness difference between them. If the voices are on separate tracks, then you can easily normalize them without compression, and the loudness range will also improve.

Universal workflow for loudness normalization

Ready to dig in? Even if you have a tool designed for loudness normalization (which I'll cover below), it's important to understand the whole loudness normalization workflow so you can make appropriate adjustments when necessary.

The elements of loudness normalization and what affects them are as follows.

Loudness range (LRA) is affected either by vocal technique consistency and adjustable with compression, or it's affected by mismatched loudness from different tracks and adjustable with independent normalization.

Integrated/program loudness is affected by recording levels and adjustable with gain/amplification.

True peak (dBTP) is affected by the loudest points in your audio and is adjustable (or distortion prevented) with limiting.

Easy tools for loudness normalization

Auphonic (free and paid options; web, Windows, and macOS): my favorite tool for processing audio quickly and easily. You can set the target loudness, enable the adaptive leveler to reduce LRA, and it has an automatic true-peak limiter. Auphonic can also reduce background noise.

Adobe Audition's included “Match Volume” (paid, Windows and macOS): loudness normalization built right into my preferred digital audio workstation (DAW). The Match Volume tool works on files or multitrack clips and can measure and adjust to a customizable target, with built-in true-peak limiting. However, it doesn't measure or affect LRA, so you may need to do that separately.

Adobe Audition's included “Loudness Radar” (paid, Windows and macOS): not for normalizing, but for visually measuring. This will show you the loudness, LRA, and dBTP of any played audio. It even works if you use the playback shuttle to play your audio faster!

Hindenburg Journalist and Journalist Pro: the best standalone, single-purchase DAWs for podcasting, in my opinion! Both Journalist and Journalist Pro can automatically loudness-normalize any clip you drop into the editor. Then, you can export with a target loudness preset.

FixMyLevels (free and paid options, web): the new kid on the block in loudness normalization. FixMyLevels has more aggressive algorithms than Auphonic, and they have designed it specifically for podcasts. It's free to try during the beta stage and seems it will cost less than Auphonic once launched.

There are other tools for measuring and adjusting audio, too. Either through a plugin, standalone app, or built-in feature. With these measurement tools, “online” refers to during playback, while “offline” can analyze the audio faster than real time and without playback.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Zachary Webb wrote in iTunes USA, “Daniel provides great information on the Audacity to Podcast. The way he shares information is easy to understand. Thanks for doing this podcast, Daniel!”

Sean Hiland, host of Slept in Government Class, wrote in iTunes USA, “Utility, Clarity, Sincerity: These are the three words I first think when I listen to Daniel's episodes. I always hear something I can use and never have to filter through garbage to get to the gold. Daniel also presents a clear desire to help people improve at something he truly loves. When I was first starting out, I listened to Daniel AFTER I paid for a website service my new podcast didn't need. Thanks to Daniel, I was able to get a refund before the trial period ran out. That's real utility in a format I can enjoy.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

Moving podcast hosting companies and keeping your subscribers doesn't have to be complicated. Here's what you need to know, especially to avoid losing your entire audience.

Before you move podcast hosts

Don't rush

I've seen many podcasters hurt their own shows because they were too quick to make a move (often for the wrong reasons) and didn't know or outright ignored the consequences.

Although moving is a relatively simple process, skipping something important or making the wrong decision could make you lose your entire audience with literally a single click.

Don't wait too long

Although it's good to take your time, don't wait until the last day of your current provider's billing period to move your podcast. This process is usually quick, but as you'll see soon, some steps are best done with some time to let them sit.

Move for the right reasons

Podcast-hosting companies are designed to provide two core features and an optional third:

A content-distribution network (CDN) to serve your media files quickly and take the load off your website

Industry-standard, reliable, and accurate download statistics

(Optional) Fully customizable podcast-ready RSS feed

Some podcast-hosting companies may provide additional features, such as automations, sponsorship opportunities, live-streaming, a basic website, crowdfunding, and such. These features can be useful for some. But they are features you must opt in to use.

It's not the podcast-hosting company's responsibility to promote your podcast, submit it to all the podcast apps and directories, make your podcast discoverable, or handle your content. Like the opt-in features, these are also your responsibility.

So never think that your podcast will grow better on one host over the other. These companies provide tools and services you must use to promote and grow your podcast yourself.

That said, here are some good reasons to move podcasts hosts.

To have more control and ownership over your feed

To get better stats (unless you're already using the industry leaders)

To get better built-in features for your desired workflow (such as WordPress integration, standalone apps, live-streaming, or a managed website when you don't want your own platform)

To save a large amount of money (moving merely to save a few dollars might not actually be worth it)

Try any of these three (or even Podbean) with promo code “noodle” and you'll get at least one month free.

If your old and new hosts understand podcasting

I hate to say that some podcast-hosting companies don't understand podcasting, but it's unfortunately true. They may be ignorant of vital smaller details that can have serious ramifications on your podcast and your audience.

But assuming both your old and new hosts fully understand podcasting (or at least enough to allow you to leave the old host), here are the steps you should follow.

1. Migrate your media

My top podcast-hosting recommendations, Blubrry and Libsyn, offer simple media migration. With Blubrry, it's free and can be easily done yourself within PowerPress. With Libsyn, it costs a flat rate ($25 for up to 10 GB as of April, 2017) and you only have to request it and they do it for you.

If you don't migrate your old episodes, you risk losing them forever (if you didn't backup your masters) and it means new subscribers won't be able to enjoy your old content.

If you're simply switching feed-creation/enhancement tools (such as from FeedBurner to PowerPress, Libsyn, or Spreaker) and your media isn't being moved, then you don't have to worry about migrating the files.

2. Copy and update all your feed data

Blubrry's and Libsyn's migrations will automatically copy all your podcast information from your old feed to your new one. But it's still a good idea to double-check that the information is all where it should be.

This is also a good time to consider updating some of the information, such as the web address, copyright, description, and maybe even the cover art.

3. Mirror the GUIDs

Some cheap podcast hosts may say they migrate all the feed data, but they forget about the globally unique identifier (GUID) for each episode.

The GUID is how podcast apps know whether an episode has been downloaded before. The GUIDs may be a URL or a random string of characters. The GUID's actual value is almost irrelevant, but it's crucial that it remain the same on your new host.

If the GUID is changed, even by a single character, podcast apps will think the episode is new and thus force a redownload.

I've seen this happen far too many times to big-name podcasters (who, unfortunately, chose a cheap new host) and it causes their entire back catalog of episodes to redownload. This effectively invalidates the stats and frustrates the audience.

Blubrry and Libsyndo mirror the GUIDs for you, but I don't know of any other companies that do, too.

4. Update the media URLs (if applicable)

If you're moving only your media and not your RSS feed, then you need to update all your old media URLs.

If you use PowerPress, this could be as simple as going to PowerPress ➜ Tools ➜ Find and Replace for Episode URLs. There, enter the old URL path (less the filenames) with the new one. For example, “Find in URL” http://myawesomepodcast.com/media/ and “Replace with” http://traffic.libsyn.com/myawesomepodcast/.

However, this is only easy if both the new and old media URLs follow their own consistent patterns. SoundCloud and some other cheap hosts have a completely different URL for every media file. In such a case, you would have to manually update the media URL for all your past episodes one at a time.

But if your new host handles the migration and creates your new feed for you, then they'll update the media URLs in the new feed and you won't have to worry about it.

5. Insert <itunes:new-feed-url> into your new feed

Apple's <itunes:new-feed-url> tag is a good extra step to confirm its Podcasts app and iTunes are reading the correct RSS feed, and to more quickly update the catalog and subscriptions.

It's pointless to put this on the old feed if the old feed is being redirected. That's because a redirect happens before the feed contents are loaded.

6. Test and validate the new feed

Before you throw the final switch, subscribe to your own new feed and ensure it looks and works properly. You could also test it with Podbase Podcast Validator and Cast Feed Validator. It would be horrible if you point all your subscribers to a new feed and it's actually broken!

7. Update the “original feed” in FeedBurner (if applicable)

If you're using FeedBurner, login and update the feed URL it's using as the “original feed.” This is also necessary to do if you're completely leaving FeedBurner.

If you're simply leaving FeedBurner's horrible “SmartCast” feature, you may not need to update the original feed if it's already the feed with your podcast information in it (such as a PowerPress feed).

8. Place a 301 permanent redirect on the old feed forever

The final step, and the switch that makes all your subscribers start using your new feed, is to redirect the old feed to the new one.

This must be with a 301 permanent redirect. As the name makes obvious, this communicates a permanent switch. It's like telling the post office not to temporarily hold your mail, but to forward all your mail to your new address and notify every sender of the address change. Learn more about redirects in episode 280.

If the redirect isn't a 301 permanent redirect, then podcast apps won't update where they look for your feed.

Unfortunately, not all podcast apps make a permanent change when they load a 301 permanent redirect. Thus, you need to keep that old feed URL redirecting to the new one forever, if possible.

With FeedBurner, you do this by deleting a feed and enabling “With permanent redirection” before you complete the process. But then never permanently delete the feed from your FeedBurner account.

With Libsyn, a lifetime redirect is unfortunately a $25 fee, but they'll keep it online even if you close your Libsyn account.

Blubbry and some other providers will place a lifetime permanent redirect for free on request.

If you own the old feed URL, then you can redirect it yourself. But ensure you keep that domain renewed!

In an absolute worst-case scenario, keep the 301 permanent redirect in place for at least 90 days and let your audience know they may have to resubscribe if they stop receiving episodes.

Last resorts if your old host doesn't understand podcasting well

I'd like to assume you're at least moving to a good host, like Blubrry, Libsyn, or Spreaker. But I know we were all young and ignorant once, so we may have made some mistakes in our pasts. So, if you've made some mistakes, too, and are moving from a bad “podcast hosting” company, here are some different things you could try.

Unlike the previous section, these are not sequential steps, but different things you could try in order to save your podcast from the shriveled clutches of the undead. (Notice that “shriveled clutches” is abbreviated “SC”? That was actually unintentional, but oh so appropriate!)

Try to follow the previous steps

If you're moving to a good new host, then they'll be able to do all the good stuff they're supposed to do. They may even be able to tell you the precise steps you need to take to leave your old host.

Try to get a 301 permanent redirect on the old feed

Regardless of what bad podcast hosting companies may say, they do have the ability to place a 301 redirect on their servers. So it's really a matter of whether they're willing to do that for departing customers.

But if you can get a 301 permanent redirect, get it! Even if it means paying for a few extra months so the redirect can be there for at least 90 days.

Try to get <itunes:new-feed-url> in the old feed

Some providers may not be willing to place a 301 permanent redirect but they will let you place custom RSS tags in your feed. (Podomatic is one such company.) This may mean upgrading your account for a few months, but it might be worth it to keep your hard-earned audience!

Update the URL in the following code to use in the old feed when you can't get a 301 redirect.

Like a 301 redirect, leave this in place for at least 90 days. In the meantime, publish a “please resubscribe” episode in this old feed. More on that below.

Update the feed URL in the major podcast apps (or contact their support team)

Most podcast apps and directories will appropriately handle a 301 permanent redirect and update their own databases. But watch out for those that don't. You may have to login to a portal and update the feed URL, or you may have to contact their support.

For example, with iTunes and Apple Podcasts, a 301 redirect and <itunes:new-feed-url> tag will work properly, but if you're not able to do either of those, this is one of the few moments you would need to change the feed URL in your Podcasts Connect account, or ask Apple's support to do it for you if you don't have access to the podcast.

Submit a new feed to podcast apps and directories and have the old one removed

Absolute worst-case scenario is to submit your new podcast feed all over again to the apps and directories and ask them to remove the old one.

But if you didn't place a 301 redirect on your old feed, simply updating the directories (either through resubmission or through a URL update) will probably not carryover all your existing subscribers.

Publish a “please resubscribe” episode in your old feed

If you couldn't get a 301 redirect on your old feed, or you're not able to keep it forever, remove all the old episodes and publish a single “please resubscribe” episode. In this short episode, explain why they need to resubscribe, how to do it, and point them to a website with the new subscription links or instructions.

It's far from ideal to ask your audience to go through the resubscribe process, but it's better than completely losing them.

Accept that you may lose some subscribers

Whether through poor technology implementations, incompatibilities, or even mere differences in statistics algorithms, you may see a drop in your download numbers. Even if it actually means fewer people are subscribed than before, at least you can know that those who stayed are probably more loyal.

If you need help with this process, I can either help you in Podcasters' Society or refer you to another podcast consultant.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Lee Ann Hopkins, host of Hooray Weekly, wrote in iTunes USA, “The Podcaster's Podcast. Daniel J. Lewis is a gift of the highest caliber. I only learned about The Audacity to Podcast AFTER I had started my podcast, Hooray Weekly. I wish that I had been listening to him long before I started publishing my podcast. Every week I learn so many things. I can't tell you how many times I've exclaimed, ‘so THAT's how you do it effectively and efficiently!' As the commercial goes, ‘I could've had a V-8!' He's so awesome, I think I've got to hire him! Thank you, Daniel. Keep on, keeping on! You're a gem!”

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

Episode length is sometimes a heated discussion in podcasting. There's helpful data from different sources. But what's right for your podcast? I'll help you decide!

I suggest a “who, what, when, where, how, and why” approach to determining the perfect podcast length for yourself.

Who is your audience?

Because most podcasts target separate niches, it can be very difficult to make blanket recommendations on all podcasts.

Many of the podcasts from public-radio showrunners are intentionally and skillfully designed to reach a broad, general audience. But your podcast may reach a smaller, more focused audience that may never be interested in general content (or general perspective).

When you get to know your audience, you can better understand their specific needs and situations. For example:

New moms may not have much listening time while caring for young children.

Business executives may not have time to listen during business hours, but they want to continue their education away from the office.

Kids may have a shorter attention span, especially for non-entertaining content.

Agricultural workers may have many lonely hours away from the Internet, and they may be eager for something stimulating.

Thus, you can probably imagine that a 5-minute podcast could be ideal for one audience, but too short for another. Inversely, a three-hour podcast could be ideal for one audience, but too long for another.

Your listener is the most important person to your podcast (“Duh,” right?). So what's the best way to serve them?

What is your subject?

Because broadcast media reach a wide audience, they need topics that appeal to the general population. That's why most long-form radio talk shows are about money, relationships (including religion), tech, politics, and sports. That information interests nearly everyone.

But podcasts are far more focused. You don't have to worry about appealing to employees on their rush-hour commute home. You only have to be concerned with the smaller group of people interested in your subject.

And not all subjects are equal. Although it's possible that nearly any subject could be shared (to some degree) in a few minutes or in a few hours, some subjects may be better at different lengths. For example:

Educational content depends on the depth of the information. It's good to be short when it's a lot to take in (for example, Grammar Girl). But it can also be good to be long when a concept needs more explanation to be understood.

Inspirational content may be good enough to be short. Think of all the devotional-style books that provide quick inspiration and make it easy to consume each day.

Entertaining content that is good will probably never be long enough. Look at how well the Lord of the Rings extended editions sell compared to Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. They're both entertaining, but the quality of one far outweighs the quality of the other.

Some podcasts may be harder to consume because their subjects require uninterrupted attention. But you can easily stave off that concern by ensuring your content is segmented in a way that is friendly to multiple listening sessions.

No Agenda is a twice-weekly, three-hour-long podcast that has huge success. I listen to it, myself, and I listen all the way through (except for the techno stuff at the end). I don't complain about the length because the episodes are entirely informative and entertaining. But there's no way that I could listen to a single Grammar Girl episode for three hours!

So what is appropriate for your subject? Do you need more time to explain something, or do you need only a few minutes? Do you have enough good content that will rapture people from time?

When do you publish?

I've always considered frequency and length to be closely associated. Daily shows may seem lucrative, but they take a lot of work. Plus, daily shows can be more difficult for listeners to stay current, depending on their own schedules and the length of your episodes.

Your publishing schedule needs to be a consideration with your episodes. In general, I recommend more frequent shows to be shorter and less frequent shows to be longer.

But that's not a hard rule, either! No Agenda publishes twice a week and it's three hours long. Grammar Girl is once a week and it's usually shorter than 15 minutes. And I don't see many people (if any) complaining about the length or frequency of either.

Thus, while your audience will really care more about the value you provide than the length or even frequency, your personal schedule may be the bigger issue. It's generally much easier to create short podcasts than long ones. So you may be able to give your best value only if you make shorter episodes when you publish more frequently.

Where does your audience listen?

According to “The Infinite Dial” study (and “The Podcast Consumer” report), by Edison Research, 51% of Americans cite their home as the top place they consume podcasts most. That's followed by 22% in an automobile and 14% at work.

But where they ever listen is 84% at home, 65% in an automobile, 42% walking around / on foot, 39% at work, 29% excercising, and 29% on public transportation. (These total more than 100% because this was a multichoice question.)

Different locations have different mental freedoms and practical limitations. At home has the most freedoms and least limitations, while at an office job probably has the least freedoms and most limitations. Driving and exercising probably have plenty of mental freedom, but also plenty of practical limitations.

Even if someone listens at 1× for only 25.4 minutes on their way to work, the podcast is still there for them when they get back in their automobile to go home. It's probably even easier for them to resume listening than to switch podcasts! The more interesting and relevant the content is to them, the more likely they'll be to resume listening, and perhaps continue listening across multiple sessions.

Consider, for example, if your podcast helps employees with daily inspiration or education. It would make sense for that content to fit within their commute so they can consume it completely before their commute is over.

Then again, average commute lengths could be completely irrelevant to your own show.

How do you present your message?

Presentation is equally as important as content. You can have great content, but people won't benefit from it if it's presented horribly. You can also have the presentation skills of the greatest public speakers, but bad content will leave people empty.

If you can maintain your energy level, the quality of content, and the relevance to your audience for only 20 minutes, then that's your ideal length. If you can maintain it for longer, then a longer show could be an option (though not a necessity).

In Beyond Powerful Radio, Valerie Geller said, “There is no such thing as too long, only too boring.”

I host a fan podcast about the TV show Once Upon a Time. Because it's a broadcast show, it must fit a specific amount of time. There have been many times we've called episodes or scenes “filler” while other things seemed too cut. The hard clock they have to follow both forces them to make content and limits them from telling the full story. That's why movies can often tell a story better: they don't necessarily have an imposed clock format they have to follow.

Why length actually doesn't matter much

Some broadcasters (such as those behind Bridge Ratings) have said because the average commute is 25.4 minutes, your podcast episodes should be that long, too. But as I've demonstrated, there are many more factors and success stories at all points in the spectrum.

In addition to No Agenda, Dan Carlin's Hardcore History is another podcast with extremely long episodes (up to 6 hours!), but the length hasn't held back these podcasts! In fact, Rob Walch, VP of Podcaster Relations at Libsyn (the largest podcast host and distribution platform) has said that among their customers 84% of the podcasts with more than 100,000 downloads per episode are longer than 51 minutes.

Even Edison Research's own findings confirm that long form isn't a problem. According to their study in 2017, the average podcast-consumer listens to 5 hours and 7 minutes across 5 podcasts per week. Thus, the average length of a consumed episode is 61.4 minutes. This is actually more a reflection of how long the episodes are that the participants listen to, than a reflection of the success

Again, these are all averages and broad studies. They can be nicely informative, but the diverse niches in podcasts make the data almost impossible to apply without deeper, segmented studies.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Chris, from Real World Redneck Outdoor Adventure Podcast, wrote in iTunes USA, “Inspiring and Helpful. Thank you for the many useful tips and tricks that you share. You have inspired me to start my own podcast called ‘Real World Redneck Podcast.' It's a show about outdoor adventures and hacks. Still a little rough around the edges, but I'm having a blast! Thanks again.

Nivek Thompson, from Real Democracy Now!, wrote in iTunes Australia, “I've listened to the Audacity to Podcast on and off since I started my podcast journey mid-2016. I recently came across the automation series and it was just what I needed. Real Democracy Now! a podcast is a passion project for me and I do everything (with some graphic design help from my daughter). So it was wonderful to be talked through a range of automation tools that will help me reduce some of the workload of producing a weekly podcast. I really like the series approach as it makes it easy to listen and to check the Show Notes without having to search a huge back catalogue to find relevant material. If you are a podcaster, especially a newbie like me, this series will be invaluable.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/is-there-an-ideal-length-for-podcast-episodes-tap305/feed/5Episode length is sometimes a heated discussion in podcasting. There's helpful data from different sources. But what's right for your podcast? I'll help you decide!Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher305Is There an Ideal Length for Podcast Episodes?clean36:27How to Get Good Audio from Your Podcast Guests – TAP304https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-get-good-audio-from-your-podcast-guests-tap304/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-get-good-audio-from-your-podcast-guests-tap304/#commentsTue, 09 May 2017 15:32:33 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13171

Interviewing non-podcasters presents many challenges, so here's my advice to ensure you get the best sound quality possible from your podcast guests.

This has been one of the most-requested topics. More recently requested by Max Flight, Onai, Jeremy Jackson, Candice Jones, and Mike Rapin.

We podcasters can tend to obsess over audio quality. It's certainly important to ensure your audience can hear and understand you, but remember that nearly no one subscribes to a podcast solely because of its audio quality. (Though a lack of good audio quality is certainly a reason people unsubscribe.)

Thus, the following tips will help you find a balance of audio quality and other factors so that you can deliver the best podcast reasonably possible.

Make it easy for your guest

Your guest is doing you a favor by being on your show. They're already taking time out of their busy schedules to spend it with you, often times knowing that they may not get much value in return. So why make it difficult for them?

Shipping microphones, using multi-ender recording tools, and more can be great ways to ensure the utmost audio quality from your guest. But using any of these could be a bit too much for your guest, especially when it requires installing apps, creating accounts, connecting equipment, and such.

For some guests, even getting Skype could be too much to ask!

So work with what you can. If your guest has a smartphone, that may be the easiest option that also returns the best results.

Installing and using apps—Skype, FaceTime, Ringer, or anything else—may be easier than on a computer. Plus, most smartphones have really good microphones, so you only need an app to use that good microphone. Thus, having your guest use a voice over IP (VoIP) app on their device, but holding their device as if they were making a phone call puts that high-quality microphone near their voice.

Using the handset also reduces the chances of rustling noises, filtering, and other issues that can negatively affect the audio quality through any kind of headset or earpiece.

If this isn't possible, compromise and accept a standard phone call.

What's more important: that all your guests have great audio quality but you can't get the guests you really want, or that you get the guests you want but with lower audio quality?

Focus on the message

Your audience consumes your podcast because of the messages you share, not because of the audio quality and maybe not even because of the guest themselves. Thus, it's far more important for you to bring those messages to the world than to obsess over getting pristine audio quality.

Yes, try to get the best results you can. But don't sacrifice a great message simply because the audio isn't studio-quality. As long as your audience can hear and understand your guest and their message, the audio quality is acceptable.

Maintain your own audio quality

It's okay if you can't get the best audio quality from your guest, but your own audio needs to be its usual best. This is because you are your podcast's “constent.”

We're actually quite used to this kind of mismatch. In radio and television, it's quite common for special guests to be joining through a simple phone call.

So however you record your guest's audio, I recommend you record your own with your normal means—even if your call-recorder is also recording you. This will ensure your own audio is consistent. This also reduces the chances of your call-recorder's capturing your voice in a lower audio quality. And such differences usually are noticeable.

Encourage good mic technique and environment

In many ways, technique and environment affect audio quality more than the gear itself.

Please don't overwhelm your guest with pages of instructions; remember that they're doing you a favor. But here are some quick points you're welcome to copy the section relevant to your connection method.

So you'll sound the best and my audience can hear your message, please follow these recommendations:

Don't use speakerphone—Not only is speakerphone usually used to allow distance from the mic, it also usually creates audio feedback and over-amplifies the microphone.

Go somewhere quiet. If you hear something, the microphone probably can, too—You don't have to educate them on acoustics. “Quiet” is good enough.

Turn off notification sounds or set to DND—Skype, Slack, email, calendar events, and more notifications can create a distracting background noise, especially if the device making the noise is the same as what's capturing their voice.

Try to stay still—This reduces the chances of rustling noise if they're wearing or holding the “microphone,” and reduces the chances of bumping the mic if it's detached.

Don't worry if something goes wrong—This can help assure them things don't have to be perfect and they don't have to apologize for minor distractions.

It can take skill, but it's possible to handle or even integrate distractions into the message. Consider how Professor Robert Kelly's interviewed on BBC News could have gone better:

BONUS! I ran across this funny parody:

You may still have a guest who ignores or didn't read your recommendations. when you're connected. In such a case, focus on the smallest things you can do to return the best results.

If your guest is a fellow podcaster, you can hold them to a higher standard and inform them when their audio may not be working as expected (such as having the wrong microphone selected).

Separate guest and studio audio

Multitrack covers a multitude of sins. If your guest's audio can be recorded into its own track, then you have a whole lot more flexibility to fix and improve the audio in your postproduction:

Fix volume differences

Reduce background noise

Edit out crosstalk or overly active listening

Apply separate compression and EQ for improved quality

For more information about recording in multitrack, listen to these past episodes:

Tools to help you record podcast guests

Ringr, Zencastr, and Cast—These multi-ender VoIP tools handle the conference call and record each participant into separate tracks at the local source. Thus, there's almost no risk of bandwidth problems distorting the quality. They run through a browser or iOS/Android app.

Skype Out / Skype In, Google Voice, UberConference, Anchor—These tools allow you to make or receive telephone calls. They may have recording capabilities, but they're using recording both sides at telephone quality and mixed into a single track.

Sound Recorder (Windows), Windows Voice Recorder (Windows), and QuickTime (macOS)—These preinstalled (or officially free) apps could be the easiest way for a guest to record audio from their own PC, if you want to do it that way.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-get-good-audio-from-your-podcast-guests-tap304/feed/4Interviewing non-podcasters presents many challenges, so here's my advice to ensure you get the best sound quality possible from your podcast guests.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher304How to Get Good Audio from Your Podcast Guestsclean36:52What to Do When You Have Too Many Podcast Episodes in Your RSS Feed – TAP303https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-to-do-when-you-have-too-many-podcast-episodes-in-your-rss-feed-tap303/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-to-do-when-you-have-too-many-podcast-episodes-in-your-rss-feed-tap303/#commentsTue, 02 May 2017 13:51:09 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13062

When you have more podcast episodes than your RSS feed holds, it can affect your audience, marketing, and more. Here are eight options to fix it.

With these things in mind, you can determine which of the following options are best for your podcast and, most important, best for your audience.

2. Raise the limit

There is no universal hard limit to how large an RSS feed can be, neither in its file size nor in its number of episodes. There are, however, practical limits, as I discussed in my previous episode, such as the speed and compatibility of large feeds.

Most podcast-feed-creation tools default to 10, 20, 50, or 100 latest episodes. If you have more episodes than that and you want them to display in podcast apps and be downloadable by your subscribers, then you should raise the limit in what is creating your RSS feed.

Even if a podcast directory limits the number of displayed episodes (such as the Apple catalog's current limit of 300), you can increase your number of episodes beyond that. This will make those older episodes still fully accessible to your subscribers, even if they don't display in podcast catalogs.

3. Optimize the feed data

When you raise the limit on your RSS feed, it could add significant data to the feed, which could result in slower performance.

There are three ways to fix this.

Use a highly-optimized, podcast-only RSS feed that contains minimal data (such as a Libsyn feed separate from your website).

Use “Feed Episode Maximizer” on your podcast-only RSS feed from PowerPress so it will reduce the amount of data accompanying older episodes.

Switch WordPress to publish excerpts instead of the full content in the feed by going to WordPress ➜ Settings ➜ Reading ➜ “For each article in a feed, show” and set to “Summary.”

4. Remove irrelevant episodes

Make sure you use a podcast-only RSS feed for podcast apps and directories. Otherwise, including text-only posts in the same feed can cause unnecessary inflation and bump out podcast episodes from item-limited feeds.

If your feed contains only podcast episodes, you might want to consider cleaning up your archive. Look for any kind of announcement-only episodes—such as for a hiatus, upcoming event, or special circumstances—which are no longer relevant.

You could even consider filtering your feed to include only your best content. So you could remove:

Replaced episodes, such as when you changed your mind or information significantly changed—especially if you're concerned the old content might lead your audience in the wrong direction

But I actually caution against this. There are certainly times it may be appropriate. But for most of us, our archive of episodes tell a bigger story that help build our authority and influence.

5. Sell the back catalog

If your content is timeless and you limit your feed to only your latest episodes, you may be able to sell access to your older episodes. You could do that through Patreon, MyLibsyn, or a membership system on your site (such as with the MemberPress plugin for WordPress).

The Adam Carolla Show and Ben Greenfield Fitness are a couple podcasts that do this.

Although you could sell individual episodes, I think it would be easier for you and your members, as well as foster an ongoing relationship, if you treat it more like membership access. This would allow them to pay a recurring fee to keep access to everything.

But ensure the members-only feed does contain everything and has no limits! This would allow paying members to subscribe to that feed instead of your public feed, and then they will have access to all your old and new episodes from a single place, as long as they maintain their membership.

6. Create an archive show

Although an RSS feed theoretically has no limit to the number of episodes, podcast directories might (Apple currently limits it to 300). Thus, your old episodes may be available to subscribers, but not findable through search.

If you want your episodes to remain findable in podcast apps beyond those directory limits, then consider creating one or multiple archive shows.

For example, John Lee Dumas's podcast, Entrepreneur on Fire, is far beyond the 300-episode limit for the Apple podcast directory. His main podcast feed contains all his daily episodes, but only the latest 300 are findable through Apple Podcasts. So John creates and submits separate RSS feeds with 300 episodes in each: 1–300, 301–600, 601–900, and so on. This ensures his old but timeless content is still findable, which is especially important for popular guests or topics.

John makes these separate feeds by creating additional shows on Libsyn. This gives each show full control over a dedicated RSS feed without having to use FeedBurner. It also provides separate archive stats. But this does cost extra for each new show.

A big benefit to John's method of completely separate hosting is that he can edit those episodes differently to make each one encourage subscribing to the main feed.

Thus, the more affordable and easier way to create archive shows is with categories—either in WordPress, Libsyn, or your other feed-creation tool. These categories could be named simply, “Archive 1,” “Archive 2,” and so on. With PowerPress, you can enable Category Podcasting to have full control over each RSS feed. With Libsyn, you would need to run the category feeds through FeedBurner—and yes, use the dreaded SmartCast feature—to have control over the feed data.

Consider these archive shows a form of passive SEO. You don't have to promote them, but they are there and findable for anyone.

7. Do nothing

You could simply do nothing and let your podcast episodes disappear after they're bumped beyond your limits—either by the podcast directories or by your own feed limits.

This could be totally fine for many podcasts that lack ongoing, timeless value (also known as “long tail”) for older episodes.

For example, episodes from a current-events podcast are no longer relevant after the current events have past (and possibly been forgotten). This could apply to podcasts that cover news, sports, day-in-history, and such.

8. Work within your limits

Limits aren't always a bad thing. So regardless of the timelessness of your episodes, you may decide to do nothing with your feed itself. But when you know your podcast's limits, you can make decisions that help you to podcast better within those limitations.

For example, working within limits could help you:

Know what content is accessible to new subscribers (so don't often recommend episodes that are no longer in the feed)

Not have to worry about bandwidth on old episodes (but not a problem if you're using a real podcast host, like Blubrry or Libsyn)

Not have older, embarrassing content still accessible to new subscribers

Know what might happen if you release too many episodes in a short period of time

Set appropriate expectations for sponsors

Promote time-sensitive things appropriately

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Dave.Rex wrote in iTunes USA, “A Free Show With Huge Value. Daniel J. Lewis has given me so much more than just some tips or tricks to podcast. This show has given me the courage, drive, ideas, tools, resources, and education it takes to start my own podcast. Daniel is incredibly devoted to showing YOU how to succeed. This show is a testament to that, I have learned more here in a couple weeks than I did in years on my previous show. If only I had discovered this man sooner I would already be 100 episodes deep. If you want to start your own podcast, start here.”

Lee Conway (“Leensarah”), host of Frequent Fear Podcast, wrote in iTunes UK, “A podcast Audio Bible. After taking over the recording & running of a podcast, I was recommended this show. It has become a staple of my commute to work, leaning me so much towards improving both quality and listenership of my podcast. Thanks and here's to many more lessons.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-to-do-when-you-have-too-many-podcast-episodes-in-your-rss-feed-tap303/feed/1When you have more podcast episodes than your RSS feed holds, it can affect your audience, marketing, and more. Here are eight options to fix it.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher303What to Do When You Have Too Many Podcast Episodes in Your RSS Feedclean30:48What You Need to Know about Episode Limits and Your Podcast RSS Feed – TAP302https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-episode-limits-and-your-podcast-rss-feed-tap302/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-episode-limits-and-your-podcast-rss-feed-tap302/#commentsTue, 25 Apr 2017 15:15:25 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=13056

After podcasting for a while and you may see old episodes disappear from podcast directories and your RSS feed. Here are seven things you should know.

Come back for my next episode where I'll share, “What to Do When You Have Too Many Podcast Episodes in Your RSS Feed.”

1. The episode limit is set by whatever creates your podcast RSS feed

WordPress, Libsyn, or whatever else you're using to create your RSS feed is also what sets the limit on how many episodes that feed can hold. If you use FeedBurner, it doesn't affect the episode limit in any way.

Exactly where you adjust that limit depends on how you're using the tools to create the feed. Here are the three most-common places:

2. More episodes make your podcast RSS feed bigger and slower

Be careful increasing or removing the episode limit. Every additional episode will proportionally increase the size and decrease the speed of your podcast RSS feed.

For example, a feed with 200 episodes will be approximately double the size and double the load time of the same feed with 100 episodes.

There are some exceptions and workarounds to this, which I'll explain in my next episode.

3. Directory limits don't affect your subscribers

Apple's podcasts directory currently limits podcast listings to 300 episodes. (There are some rare cases where 301 or just below 300 will display, perhaps due to a bug.) Other podcast directories may have lower limits.

But thanks to the wonderful, decentralized nature of podcasting, these directory limits don't matter. That's because most people subscribe directly to your podcast RSS feed, so the directory has no affect on what the subscriber has access to. Thus, it's possible for your subscribers to see all of your episodes, almost regardless of what app they use, even if the directory shows fewer.

There are some “walled garden” apps that don't honor the spirit of podcasting and may limit what the user can access because the app doesn't actually subscribe them to your feed.

4. Your old episodes could be irrelevant

While you may be tempted to offer all your podcast episodes in your feed, you should be realistic about their long-term value. This is often referred to as “long tail.”

A current-events podcast, for example, has little to no value in old episodes after the events have passed. This may be only partially true for fan-based content (TV shows, movies, sports, etc.).

Thus, increasing your episode limit may not provide any extra value to your audience, because you're only exposing irrelevant content.

5. Your old episodes could be timeless

On the other side of irrelevance is timelessness. When your content has long-term value, it has “long tail.” These are the kinds of episodes that are still relevant today. You may often refer back to them, they rank well for common search terms, or they provide content that will always be valuable.

Here are some examples of timeless content:

Comedy

Stories

Interviews (depending on the focus of the interview)

Education

Reviews

Inspiration

Fan-based content (TV shows, movies, etc.) is most relevant during the release of the stuff your podcast is about. But there's still some long tail because people may watch the TV show or movie years later and want a podcast to follow with it.

6. Many people will want to binge on your podcast

Easy access to timeless content (via Netflix, podcasts, and more) feeds our present binging culture. Some creators are even publishing entire seasons of content in one big drop instead of slowly over time.

Even if you publish episode over time, it doesn't take long to build a back-catalog of content. If someone enters your podcast through high-quality, relevant, engaging content, it's likely they'll go back to consume older episodes. They may even do this in a very short amount of time (thus binging).

The more episodes you offer to subscribers, the deeper someone can get engaged with your content. And the deeper they get engaged, the more loyal they become.

7. Every episode contributes to your podcast SEO

Lastly, your podcast's findability (or search-engine optimization (SEO)) within podcast apps and directories is often greatly affected by the episodes in your feed.

Apple's podcasts catalog, for example, searches not only show-level information, but also episode-level information. Thus, you could be found for a search based solely on a single episode when your show-level information doesn't contain any of that content.

The more episodes with good titles you have in your feed, the more opportunities you have to be found for various terms, or to rank better for specific terms.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Lenny Jennison (AKA “Wendellfish”), host of Victim's Voice, wrote in iTunes USA, “Must listen! This is all the information you have ever pestered other podcasts hosts for…without any luck!! This podcast covers EVERYTHING you have ever wanted to know about setting up your pod, from website to how to appropriately provide worth to listeners BEFORE asking for money!”

Eli Persinger wrote in iTunes USA, “Detailed and Delightful! Daniel's The Audacity to Podcast is THE place to go on a ‘listening tour' as you prepare to launch your own podcast. Heck, if you've already been at it awhile, you should STILL listen because this guy has THOUGHT THINGS THROUGH. Whether talking about SEO, show notes, equipment or URLs, the advice here is SOLID and DETAILED. What a find!”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-episode-limits-and-your-podcast-rss-feed-tap302/feed/6After podcasting for a while and you may see old episodes disappear from podcast directories and your RSS feed. Here are seven things you should know.
Come back for my next episode where I'll share, "What to Do When You Have Too Many Podcast Episodes in Your RSS Feed."]]>Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher302What You Need to Know about Episode Limits and Your Podcast RSS Feedclean25:21Preparing for and Learning from Your First Podcast Episode – TAP300https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/preparing-for-and-learning-from-your-first-podcast-episode-tap300/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/preparing-for-and-learning-from-your-first-podcast-episode-tap300/#commentsTue, 04 Apr 2017 16:59:59 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=12973

To celebrate 300 episodes of The Audacity to Podcast, I'm drawing lessons from this show's first episode to help you launch your podcast better, or learn how you can improve.

1. Serve your audience

In my first episode, I spent too much time talking about what a podcast is. (Even as far back as 2010, I addressed the debate over the word “podcast”!) But my target audience was existing and want-to-be podcasters, so it's reasonable to assume they know what a podcast is.

First, why are you podcasting? If serving others isn't part of that answer, then you may need to re-evaluate your reasons for podcasting.

Second, whom are you podcasting to? What do they actually need? Understand and get to know your audience by asking them questions.

Third, what expectations are you setting up for your podcast? A lot of people came to The Audacity to Podcast looking for information on the Audacity software, which I didn't directly discuss until several episodes in (a point Dave Jackson even made when he first discovered my podcast). Deliver what people came for, and they'll often stay for more.

2. Respect your audience's time

I cringed when I discovered that my first episode of The Audacity to Podcast started with an ad! It was an ad for my own (now retired) graphic and web design business.

I also spent too much time talking about myself and talking about the podcast instead of simply giving the podcast.

In fact, that first episode took nearly three minutes to get into the actual content!

While some people may not mind much if you waste a little of their time, I'm confident no one will hate you for respecting their time.

Don't worry about making your episodes an “ideal length.” Make every minute count, and your audience will most likely not care how many minutes you give them.

3. Plan your show's future

Before I started The Audacity to Podcast, I made a list of 35 topics I wanted to cover. That simple plan gave me direction for the future and that approach continues to help me consistently create new content.

The first iTunes review I ever received was from Erik Fisher (now a great friend and the host of Beyond the To-Do List, which is on my network) and it demonstrates the perceived value in having and following a plan:

Let me be the first to say that this show will be around a while. I say that not just because Daniel has it planned out, but because even after just two episodes, it's that good. This show will empower you to podcast through information and motivation. Great job!

4. Prepare your content and presentation

I don't remember exactly how long I spent preparing my first episode, but I have a feeling it was only as long as it took to come up with “POD: passion, organization, and dialogue.” I probably spent no time preparing how I would communicate that message.

The better you prepare, the fewer mistakes you'll make (and thus fewer things you may want to edit out).

5. Be yourself

When I started The Audacity to Podcast, I was still finding my voice. I was not necessarily trying to be anyone else in particular, but I was trying to be “bigger than life” in a way that didn't actually fit my own life. I could hear in my voice how I was trying to sound like a radio DJ or voiceover artist.

Masking or inflating your personality takes extra energy and can wear off, but the real you is the most natural person you can be. It's okay to amplify yourself a little, as that may communicate better when your audience isn't one-on-one, face-to-face, and in person with you. But remember to amplify yourself, not something else.

6. Stay focused

Wow, was I distracted in that first episode! I was trying to explain the podcast, trying to demonstrate my expertise, and trying to engage with a live chat audience. Because of that, I got distracted many times by being interrupted by the chat room or by stumbling over how I said something.

As much as possible, focus on the message you want to share and whom you want to share it with.

I also recommend focusing on building only one podcast at a time. In my first episode, I teased the idea of starting a podcast in a void that had been left open. Instead of starting that podcast, I focused on The Audacity to Podcast and it paid off!

7. Don't obsess

The audio quality of my first episode wasn't great. It sounds even worse, now, because I someday went back and re-processed the audio. There was noticeable background noise from my computer, horribly amplified breath noises, and an annoyingly gate that made the background noise more noticeable by “punching” it in and out.

That first episode also launched alongside the extremely underdeveloped Noodle Mix Network.

Sure, those things probably mattered and might have turned away a few people back then. But those were short-term problems that don't affect me anymore.

Today, the #1 obsession for new podcasters seems to be with their “massive launch”: reviews, iTunes New & Noteworthy, ranking, episodes in the can, and launch partners. When I started, I had zero reviews, but I was featured on the front page of iTunes. That was fun and inspirational, but the real work in growing my audience started weeks later when the New & Noteworthy spike dropped off.

Regardless of where you are in your podcasting journey, I think obsession is unhealthy. If anything, you could obsess over delivering value to your audience, and you'll be respected for that. But that may come at the cost of a personal connection with your audience (as I often struggle with).

8. Don't give up

Not everyone loved me or The Audacity to Podcast when I started. It especially seemed like listeners from Australia and New Zealand disliked me, as demonstrated in this 3-star review from “Aussie-Jack.” This was only my second review and my first international review:

Tends to waffel on a bit, but generally not bad. Second to the PodcastAnswerMan (Cliff has been doing it for awhile, now). If Daniel has the long-term passion, he will only get better. Go Daniel! -Congratulations

Yes, I have the long-term passion and I know my show has gotten better.

Wherever you are in podcasting, don't give up if you're not yet where you want to be. Reach out to experts, join my Podcasters' Society, or do whatever it takes to keep growing and improving. You will see returns when you invest with smart work!

BONUS: Emily Prokop's review

When I first announced what I would be doing to celebrate my 300th episode, Emily Prokop responded with such value, I could not merely quote from it. So listen to Emily's full ten minutes and check out her great podcast, The Story Behind.

Announcements

April 2, 2017 was my tenth anniversary in podcasting! To celebrate, my next episode will feature my wife (and a little bit of Noodle Baby) interviewing me and helping to tell my full story (even with the ugly details) of podcasting and my business. It will even include how podcasting helped me through what I call “the year of hell” when I felt like everything in my life was killed or dying. Watch for that in episode 301!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/preparing-for-and-learning-from-your-first-podcast-episode-tap300/feed/1To celebrate 300 episodes of The Audacity to Podcast, I'm drawing lessons from this show's first episode to help you launch your podcast better, or learn how you can improve.Daniel J. Lewis, with Emily Prokop300Preparing for and Learning from Your First Podcast Episodeclean50:288 Ways to Use People for Automation in Podcasting – TAP299https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/8-ways-to-use-people-for-automation-in-podcasting-tap299/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/8-ways-to-use-people-for-automation-in-podcasting-tap299/#commentsTue, 21 Mar 2017 16:06:59 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=12891

People can be wonderful parts of your podcasting team by relieving some of your burdens. I include people as an “automation tool” because they can be so skilled that all you need to do is assign a task and they return amazing results. So please never underestimate the value of others!

Here are the most powerful roles you can assign for podcasting “automation” with people.

The premise of “automation” (versus automatic actions)

Many tools can do things automatically. But all of the following tools are focused on automation, that is, automatically doing many things for you and not only a single task.

Automation may have a learning curve, but the ultimate result will make up for it!

Contributing content

Your podcast content doesn't have to be created solely by yourself. You could “outsource” work to other contributors in the form of cohosts, guests, audience feedback, and audience submissions (such as research, production pieces, content, and more).

Editing audio or video

Podcast-editing is usually one of—if not the—most-hated tasks for podcasters. But some people love editing (God bless those superheroes)!

Delegating audio or video editing to someone else could be the biggest stress relief you'll ever have in podcasting, perhaps even more than getting a cohost!

Writing

What's the second most-hated task for podcasters? It's usually writing show notes. But a good writer can help you in many other ways, such as helping with marketing copy, repurposing content, and improving existing content.

Moderating

Whether you have an active community or you receive a lot of feedback, a moderator can help filter everything and keep everyone engaged. Usually, the ideal person for this position is already extremely active in your community.

Designing

“With great power comes great responsibility” [Spider-Man]could apply to the myriad of design tools now available. It's so easy to create images that anyone can create a disaster of pixels.

You may not be able to afford an ongoing designer for your regular design needs (website, print, or other images), but I do highly recommend you invest in a professional designer for your most important stuff, like your podcast cover art.

Consider hiring someone from 99designs, DesignCrowd, or contact me if you need a designer and I can refer you to someone I trust.

Booking interviews

Whether you like to have guests on your podcast or you like to be a guest on other podcasts, it can be a huge pain to find, filter, contact, and follow up with every possibility. That's why I highly recommend delegating this to someone else, and they can probably do a much better job!

I recommend Jessica Rhodes' Interview Connections to help you “rock the podcast from both sides of the mic” (booking guests for your own show and booking you as a guest for other shows). If you want to focus solely on being a guest expert and optimizing your entire marketing plan around that, then I recommend Tom Schwab's Interview Valet.

Managing your website

Remember the Spider-Man quotation, “With great power comes great responsibility”? All that power should be handled cautiously regarding your website. You could easily crash your podcast, your site, or even your entire server by running bad code, not updating things, or making some bad choices.

Whether you need a developer or a designer, I highly recommend that you get someone else to manage the technical stuff for you.

For a reliable web host, I recommend SiteGround. If you need much more powerful hosting and more management, then I recommend WP Engine.

Contact me if you need a website expert or developer and I can refer you to someone I trust.

Marketing

A marketing department sounds like an option exclusive to multi-million-dollar companies. Not true! You can have your own marketing “department” with only one person who helps promote your stuff.

This marketing manager can help with social-media content, optimizing your website, improving your email newsletter, and much more.

If you're trying to aggressively grow your audience or to build your business, a marketing manager will be a great investment!

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

cafewhiskey wrote in iTunes USA, “I've found that most ‘how to' podcasts are not as informative or helpful as this one. Daniel obviously does this to promote his own products at times. But first and foremost are the tips and advice about podcasting. I especially find tips on audience growth and marketing very helpful, which most other podcasts do not cover. To make it even better, Daniel has a way of packaging advice in easy to-the-point tips that are easily accessible.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/8-ways-to-use-people-for-automation-in-podcasting-tap299/feed/1People can be wonderful parts of your podcasting team and be so skilled that you simply assign a task and they return amazing results—it's like automation!Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher2998 Ways to Use People for Automation in Podcastingclean31:4213 WordPress-Based Automation Tools for Podcasting – TAP298https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/13-wordpress-based-automation-tools-for-podcasting-tap298/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/13-wordpress-based-automation-tools-for-podcasting-tap298/#commentsTue, 14 Mar 2017 16:04:28 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=12886IMAGE

EXCERPT

The premise of “automation” (versus automatic actions)

Many tools can do things automatically. But all of the following tools are focused on automation, that is, automatically doing many things for you and not only a single task.

You've probably heard the phrase, “time is money.” Although that seems more applicable and measurable in business, think of time as if it's money. When you spend it on one thing, it means you don't have as much to spend on another thing.

The purpose of automation is to save you time and money! Yes, many of these automation tools cost (although many are free or have free options), but they will all save you time so that you have more time for the more important things. These automations could even help you make more money!

Think about it like this. You could save some money by learning how to hand-code your own RSS feed, but that costs a bunch of time. Instead, you invest a little time into powerful tools (like WordPress, PowerPress, Libsyn, and many others) to save you time, frustration, and prevent you from having to learn stuff you don't want.

Automation may have a learning curve, but the ultimate result will make up for it!

WordPress plugins

I love WordPress for running websites, and there are plenty of ways to automate it for podcasting. Here are my favorites.

Revive Old Post

Like Social Jukebox and Edgar, Revive Old Post will automatically reshare your content from your archive. But this is entirely powered and manageable from your WordPress website! The pro version unlocks extra features, like custom share messages, sharing with images, and more.

Simple Podcast Press

I usually talk about Simple Podcast Press as a better podcast player for your WordPress website. It also has great automation built in!

If your podcast feed is generated by anything other than your own WordPress website, Simple Podcast Press can automatically import all your episodes to your own site and include your episode's player. This works on all past episodes and automatically for all future episodes!

Add Shortcodes Actions and Filters

I have previously recommended Shortcode Exec PHP and then Shortcodes Pro, but neither WordPress plugin is being developed anymore. Now, I recommend Add Shortcodes Actions and Filters.

The most powerful use of this is in creating your own shortcodes. For example, [show_notes_close]. That shortcode can automatically insert your podcast's closing text into the WordPress post. That saves a lot of time and ensures consistency.

This becomes an investment in future automation. If you ever decide you want to change that closing text, you need only change it in the shortcode and it will be automatically changed everywhere you used that shortcode!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

The premise of “automation” (versus automatic actions)

Many tools can do things automatically. But all of the following tools are focused on automation, that is, automatically doing many things for you and not only a single task.

Automation may have a learning curve, but the ultimate result will make up for it!

Zapier or IFTTT

No conversation about automation is complete without mentioning either Zapier or IFTTT (If This Then That). Both services will monitor a myriad of sources and trigger actions based on customizable criteria.

Write a series of emails to automatically send every week for a year. Then, every new subscriber starts at the beginning and never misses the same great content everyone else gets.

Automatically send an email to a subscriber based on their activity on your site (or lack thereof). This can get them more engaged or connect them with other stuff they wanted.

Automatically segment your subscribers based on almost any criteria. With that, you can ensure only the right people receive the right messages.

Automatically deliver special offers or resources you give away.

Here are my favorite email service providers, and what I would recommend them for.

ActiveCampaign: This is my new favorite email service provider! ActiveCampaign makes powerful automations easy. Plus, it has website activity-tracker unmatched by anyone else! I haven't found anything other platforms do that ActiveCampaign can't do better.

ConvertKit: This is the cool new kid on the block. ConvertKit simplifies automations with a single list.

Aweber: This may be the industry-standard tool for email newsletters and autoresponders. Their reputation and delivery is high, and they provide fantastic support.

MailChimp: Get started for free with an email list up to 2,000 subscribers or 12,000 emails a month. I think MailChimp is the easiest-to-use provider and offers simple automation options (though it seems more is coming).

I don't think podcast audio has a “viral” problem, but there are times you may want to share a snippet of great value from your podcast. Putting this in video makes it available to and stand out more on visual platforms, like Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Wavve automates this process by allowing you to create a template for your videos, and then uploading your audio clip to be processed and applied to the template. You can even have multiple templates, ideal for different platforms (such as square video for Instagram)!

Audiogram works in much the same fashion allowing you choose an audio clip from an episode you've already published or upload it. You can then change the font, background image and visualisation style to suit your needs and brand.

I rarely recommend automating content on social networks, but automating a schedule (especially a recurring schedule) can be a great way to save you time and better engage with your followers!

Social Jukebox is a bit more affordable and has a better system for scheduling recurring messages, and Edgar is a bit easier to use with a simpler interface and RSS-based queue.

Here are some examples of queue-based social automations you can do with either Social Jukebox or Edgar on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and someday more:

Automatically post leading up to, and during regularly scheduled events, such as a live-stream.

Automatically reshare old but timeless content, such as blog posts, podcast episodes, and guest appearances

Automatically start conversations by engaging your community with questions.

Automatically and regularly promote monetized content.

I urge you to custom-write your messages, so they're personal. Also, I recommend you set your schedule to no more than once per hour, but less frequently if you don't have a lot of content to share.

Buffer or Hootsuite

Whereas Social Jukebox and Edgar can spread out recurring sharing of timeless content, Buffer and Hootsuite are nice ways to automatically share, crosspost, and spread out sharing of new content.

Buffer and Hootsuite works on the idea of a one-time queue. You can load it up and the messages will post on your schedule, but they won't repeat unless you requeue them.

They're also handy for simply crossposting the same message on multiple accounts right at the moment.

Libsyn's OnPublish, Blubrry's Post to Social, or Repurpose

Speaking of crossposting, there are several tools that can do this as soon as you publish your own content.

Libsyn's OnPublish feature uses their feed to automatically crosspost your latest podcast episodes across many social and content platforms.

Blubrry's Post to Social feature can do the same thing from the PowerPress feed for Blubrry hosting customers. Blubrry's option can even truncate the audio and automatically add a trailer, such as saying, “To hear the rest of this episode, listen and subscribe at MyAwesomePodcast.com!”

Repurpose is a standalone service that, as its name suggests, repurposes your audio or video content from nearly any source (even Facebook Live!) and automatically reposts to other destinations.

Quuu

Created by my friend and fellow podcaster Craig Carpenter, Relay dramatically speeds up the creation of professional-looking, branded images for your blog or podcast. You can create a template, enter your text, and then Relay will automatically create the multiple sizes ideal for different social networks.

Designfeed

Designfeed is somewhat similar to Relay, but it automates the process of finding relevant images based on the text you insert.

Appointlet, Doodle, Calendly, or ScheduleOnce (and many more)

If you need to schedule anything with someone else, you probably know the frustration of finding a time that works for you. Even when you pick the right time, it takes extra work to remind and follow up.

That's where an online scheduling tool helps! Appointlet, Doodle, Calendly, and ScheduleOnce each have their unique features and they're all focused on making it easier to schedule time with someone else. Plus, they offer different types of automations, simplifying the process of reminders, followups, integrations with other tools, and more.

Google Alerts

It can be tough to stay on top of your industry, but Google Alerts makes that easy by finding and sending you relevant stuff from across the Web. This can be with simple keywords or advanced search queries (like excluding certain things).

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

PCs (Windows or macOS) are powerful podcasting tools and ideal for automation. Here are 9 tools for automating many computer-based podcasting workflows.

Please comment below with the best Linux alternatives!

The premise of “automation” (versus automatic actions)

Many tools can do things automatically. But all of the following tools are focused on automation, that is, automatically doing many things for you and not only a single task.

You've probably heard the phrase, “time is money.” Although that seems more applicable and measurable in business, think of time as if it's money. When you spend it on one thing, it means you don't have as much to spend on another thing.

The purpose of automation is to save you time and money! Yes, many of these automation tools cost (although many are free or have free options), but they will all save you time so that you have more time for the more important things. These automations could even help you make more money!

Think about it like this. You could save some money by learning how to hand-code your own RSS feed, but that costs a bunch of time. Instead, you invest a little money into powerful tools (like WordPress, PowerPress, Libsyn, and many others) to save you time, frustration, and prevent you from having to learn stuff you don't want.

If you have an unused iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch, Quadro can turn it into a customizable action pad. This can trigger tasks on your PC, such as executing a command or launching a program. And it can also run an entire workflow of tasks with a single button!

For example, a single button in the Quadro app on your mobile device could launch and prepare nearly all the apps and files you need open for a particular stage in your podcasting process.

For more advanced automation, macOS comes with the free program Automator, and Windows users can install the free program AutoHotKey. These can make custom automations (sometimes called “macros”) to run tasks in a variety of programs, or give easy access to developer-level tools built into many apps.

AutoHotkey can even rerun mouse actions on your screen, so it can click all the right buttons for you!

BackBlaze

Since your PC is probably the home for most (if not all) your irreplaceable digital data, keeping it backed up should be your top safety priority!

I recommend BackBlaze because it automatically backs up everything important on your computer. You don't have to add folders or drives. It simply grabs it all, even your external storage!

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Teawaterbay wrote in iTunes USA, “Up-to-Date and Enthusiastically Thorough. Daniel is a podcasting pioneer who continues to stay fresh and current on all things in the podosphere. I have listened over the last several years to many podcasters on podcasting and I find The Audacity to Podcast to be one source that I tap into more than most. Many roundtables and discussions reference what Daniel has said or is saying on issues and developments. The field is fortunate to have such a devoted, smart, and generous contributor making this podcast proposition so inviting—and thanks to him and others—accessible to more podcasters. His work has significantly contributed to my recent start-up of my own podcast. Yes, I accumulated the needed audacity—and content—to do it. Thanks, Daniel.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

Regularly evaluating and critiquing your own your podcast, especially from your audience's perspective, will help you improve and grow the podcast. Here are four steps to get you started.

1. Save your podcast for later

It's important to add some distance between yourself and the podcast episode you want to evaluate. The longer you wait, the more you will have changed and the more likely you'll be to no longer have the information fresh on your mind. Thus, when you consume the podcast later, your perspective can be fresh enough that you have no context for the content.

With no context, you can then see how well your podcast stands alone.

2. Consume your podcast like your audience does

To help put you in the place of your audience, consider the classic five W's and one H: who, what, when, where, how, and why.

Who is consuming your podcast? Are they working guys in their 20s? Are they stay at home moms? Are they seniors with limited technology?

What other podcasts might your audience be comparing yours to? What would compel them to listen to your podcast over others?

When is your audience consuming your podcast? Do they consume before you publish your next episode? Do they consume during the week, or on a weekend?

Where is your audience consuming your podcast? Driving? Working? Relaxing? Are there distractions?

How is your audience consuming your podcast? Headphones? High-speed? On a computer, or on a mobile device?

Why is your audience consuming your podcast? What profit is in it for them?

You may be able to get this exact information by surveying your audience, or you may have to assume some things.

The word “avatar” is often used in conversations about your audience. What most people mean when they say, “your avatar” is actually “your audience's avatar.” Because you want a representation of your audience (their avatar) and not a representation of yourself (your avatar).

3. Critique your podcast as if it is someone else's

It's often said that we are our own worst critics, but I think our pride often makes us too gentle on ourselves.

If you have ever received negative criticism, it can inspire a useful perspective for critiquing your own podcast. For example, if someone says that your information isn't helpful, imagine you don't know anything about the subject, and then try to learn about it from yourself.

In a way, a critical perspective is similar to how you listen and look for things to edit. But critiquing is broader. Instead of merely looking at the small details, look at the overall message. For example, instead of counting your ums, listen for how easy it is to follow and understand the idea being shared. Or consider how much you talk about yourself instead of providing value to others.

Something may even help get you in the right perspective is if you listen to an episode of a podcast that annoys you—even if it's a different niche. This irritation can fuel extra negativity, so make sure you use it to critique yourself and not attack others!

4. Check the tech

Podcasting is a combination of all kinds of technology. There's a lot that could go wrong, so it's easy to imagine how many people can be overwhelmed (and thus make poor decisions).

Check the different, audience-affecting pieces of your technology. Here are some examples:

Volume levels: Within a single episode, across episodes, and compared to other podcasts

Sound quality: Is it easy to hear and understand what's being said?

Compatibility: Does your podcast work in different players and apps? Does your website work well on mobile devices?

Call-to-action processes: If you ask your audience to do something, do it yourself first, and maybe even on someone else's device. This will ensure everything works, that you're giving accurate instructions, and maybe inspire ways to simplify.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

From the UK, “Jonahtron” said, “INCREDIBLE resource! If ONLY I'd found this podcast 6 months ago. I've just started podcasting a short time ago. I feel as though I have made every mistake there there is to make along the way, inadvertently going against some of the sensible and good advice that Daniel has shared in this series. BUT I'm a convert now. … I'm not sure I'll ever need the amount of detail he offers with his paid content, but it's a testament to the guy that he puts out so much free content. …” Click here to read the full review.

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/4-steps-to-critique-your-own-podcast-tap295/feed/1Regularly evaluating and critiquing your own your podcast, especially from your audience's perspective, will help you improve and grow the podcast. Here are four steps to get you started.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher2954 Steps to Critique Your Own Podcastclean34:24How to Continue Podcasting When Your Life Is Unpredictable – TAP294https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-continue-podcasting-when-your-life-is-unpredictable-tap294/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-continue-podcasting-when-your-life-is-unpredictable-tap294/#commentsTue, 14 Feb 2017 16:35:02 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=12833

Life can get crazy and unpredictable. It can be joyous moments like a birth or marriage. It can be sad moments like a death or job loss. It can be trying moments like a move or transition of any kind. Here are 10 tips for keeping your podcast going, despite life's challenges.

1. Make life your highest priority

Whatever is making your life unpredictable is probably more important than your podcast. It's far better to invest yourself in your life and relationships. Like the instruction on airlines to put on your oxygen mask before helping others, you may not be able to help others through your podcast if you're suffocating your life.

2. Reduce your expectations

Is it truly reasonable to think you can keep up your podcast during an unpredictable season of life? You may have had a great schedule for consistency, and I think we all know how important consistency is. But when life is crazy, you may have to drop your expectations altogether.

From February, 2016 to February 2017, I published ten fewer episodes than usual. During that year, I took three breaks—a sabbatical, an emergency break for a death in my extended family, and time off for the birth of my first child. Never did anyone criticize me for those decisions. You and the rest of my audience were amazingly supportive! (THANK YOU!)

What you express is what you attract (one of my most-tweeted quotations). So when you're human with your audience, they'll be human back.

4. Discard old plans and make new ones (with flexibility)

Before your life changed, you may have had your schedule all planned out. You knew you could podcast on a particular schedule and have your episodes published consistently by a particular time.

Throw that all out.

During an unpredictable time, you need to make new plans. And yes, you should make plans, but they'll be very different from before.

With whatever plans you make, remember to be flexible.

5. Focus the time you do get

In his book Why We Want You To Be Rich, Robert T. Kiyosaki defines “FOCUS” as “Follow One Course Until Successful.” The core idea is that “focus” means doing nothing else but that task you mean to do, and doing that until you're finished or out of time.

Because your time may be so short for the tasks you have, it's vital that you spend that time entirely focused on those tasks. Even if it's only a few minutes, isn't that better than no time at all?

Here are some episodes, from fellow podcasters on my network, that I highly recommend to learn more about focusing effectively.

It's okay if you don't sound as pristinely as you usually do. The main things are for your audience to be able to hear and understand you. You don't have to apologize or maybe not even explain why your quality is different.

8. Seize opportunities to record

If you've been continuously planning and preparing new content, then be ready to record at any moment!

New parents know the rarity and unpredictability of silence. Whatever your situation, when that opportunity comes up that you can record and you have content ready, jump on it! You may have no idea when you'll have another opportunity like it.

9. Enlist helpers

When you're open with your audience (back to tip #3), they may also be eager to help you. Such help could be in writing show notes, editing your episodes, publishing on your site, and more.

This may even open up opportunities for future help, and be good practice for delegation.

10. Create a new normal after this season

Your life will probably be forever different after everything settles down. Embrace that difference and redefine your “normal.”

During the unpredictable season, you may have discovered new hacks that can drastically improve your workflow. You may have discovered that you can cut out certain things from your process without negatively affecting anything else.

Like consuming certain foods after an intense diet, you may discover a new appreciation or even a new distaste for what used to be normal. Thus, you may face some difficult decisions about the future of your projects.

Whatever you decide, be open and respectful toward your audience, and they'll understand.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

From the UK, Tim Lewis, host of Begin Self-Publishing Podcast, said, “Great show for more advanced podcasters. Daniel gives information that more experienced podcasters need. The internet is awash with people who have run a few podcasts and start a podcasting course, but Daniel really knows his stuff and takes you through without too much waffle the important points a modern podcaster needs to know.” Look at Tim's site for some great examples of “getting started” and “what is a podcast” pages!

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-continue-podcasting-when-your-life-is-unpredictable-tap294/feed/1Life can get crazy and unpredictable. It can be joyous moments like a birth or marriage. It can be sad moments like a death or job loss. It can be trying moments like a move or transition of any kind. Here are 10 tips for keeping your podcast going,Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher294How to Continue Podcasting When Your Life Is Unpredictableclean37:00Libsyn is offering free migration through Q1 2017, flat fee after thathttps://theaudacitytopodcast.com/libsyn-is-offering-free-migration-through-q1-2017-flat-fee-after-that/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/libsyn-is-offering-free-migration-through-q1-2017-flat-fee-after-that/#commentsThu, 05 Jan 2017 16:43:21 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=12088

Libsyn is making it more affordable to migrate your entire podcast archive to their powerful platform. Through March, 2017, podcasters can migrate up to 10 GB of episodes to Libsyn for free. In April, 2017, migrating up to that same amount will cost a flat rate of $25.

Before 2017, Libsyn's migration service was a one-time cost based on how much archived media you transfer. A back catalog of episodes would cost 5¢ per megabyte (“archiving” current episodes costs 10¢ per megabyte).

To understand the cost, imagine your podcast has 50 episodes, each an hour long and encoded with my recommended MP3 settings. With each episode being about 30 megabytes (MB), the total archive would be about 1.5 gigabytes (GB).

1.5 GB archive × 5¢ per MB transfer fee = $75 total cost

Libsyn's new offering would make this migration completely free through March 2017, or only $25 after that.

How much can you fit in a 10 GB archive transfer? Assuming my recommended encoding settings, that lets you transfer up to 333 hours of content for free or only $25!

This now makes it significantly more affordable to migrate your podcast archive to Libsyn and take advantage of their many great offerings.

For migrations larger than 10 GB, contact Libsyn support for a custom quote.

Libsyn is one of only three podcast-media-hosting companies I recommend: Blubrry, Libsyn, and Spreaker (each for specific reasons and scenarios). For comparison, Blubrry will transfer your entire catalog for free; Spreaker charges based on total storage, so a migration is essentially free.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/libsyn-is-offering-free-migration-through-q1-2017-flat-fee-after-that/feed/10Enter to win a podcasting prize in the 12 Days of PodChristmas Giveaway!https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/enter-to-win-a-podcasting-prize-in-the-12-days-of-podchristmas-giveaway/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/enter-to-win-a-podcasting-prize-in-the-12-days-of-podchristmas-giveaway/#commentsMon, 19 Dec 2016 00:41:43 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=11866In celebration of Christmas, I’m giving away more than $4,000 worth of podcasting prizes! I'm calling it “The 12 Days of PodChristmas Giveaway.”

There will be a new prize each day, so you must re-enter each day, December 14–25, for a chance to win the daily prize!

Whether you're planning a holiday break, a seasonal hiatus, or need some time off, here are ways to stay connected with your audience so they will anticipate your show's return.

I'm giving away over $3,000 worth of podcasting products and services in my 12 Days of PodChristmas Giveaway! Click here to sign up!

1. Set expectations

If your hiatus break will skip more than one episode, I recommend communicating a plan with your audience.

Your plan could be as simple as “we won't have any episodes until we return on _____.” That tells your audience not to expect episodes, but to expect your return during that time.

Or, if you choose to use any of the following tips to stay connected with your audience, communicate that. “I won't be here in the podcast, but I will be active in _____.”

I recommend that you give advanced warning about the hiatus, and release a “Currently on hiatus” miniature episode. When you return, you can remove that episode from your feed.

2. Point to active social account(s)

It's easy to post on social networks. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and such allow you to stay engaged with your audience without requiring high production or preparation.

I don't recommend pointing to every social account you have. Where Pat Flynn is known for saying, “Be everywhere,” I like to say, “Be everywhere you can be well.” Thus, instead of pointing to a dozen places people can follow you and not posting much to any of them, point them to one or two places to stay connected. With very few places to manage, it's easy to post frequently.

This can also be a great opportunity to get better with a particular social network by forcing yourself to use it frequently.

3. Preproduce miniature content

A full podcast episode can be a lot of hard work. During a hiatus, you can scale back your commitment (as long as you've set the expectations with your audience).

Imagine if your favorite podcasts took a three-month hiatus. Would you prefer to hear nothing from them until they return, or would you rather get tiny bits from them to hold you over.

Miniature content can be short podcast episodes, blog posts, an email series, informal videos, live events, and anything else that doesn't take much time but maintains the relationship with your audience.

Such miniature content can be preproduced and scheduled for automatic release during the hiatus.

4. Use an email newsletter/autoresponder

If you don't already have an email list, now could be a great time to start one! You can use your email list for many things, even during a hiatus. Your emails could be behind-the-scenes stories, short tips, or anything else that would be relevant to your audience.

5. Participate in an online community

Whether owned by you or by someone else, participating in a community during a hiatus can be a great way to continue the relationship with your fans. It can also help build your reputation, authority, and influence, which could result in gaining new subscribers.

6. Offer direct contact

You may decide maintaining a public connection with your audience isn't right for you and your show. If you still want to stay connected, consider offering a way for your audience to contact you directly. For example, “If you need help while we're on hiatus, please email us directly and we'll reply when we can.”

7. Pick what's doable and fitting

Going into a hiatus is not a good time to overcommit yourself. These tips I've provided are only options (and I welcome your suggestions in the comments!). Make sure the choice you make is something you can actually keep up with, and that it's an appropriate fit for your audience.

Regardless of what you choose to do during a hiatus, remember the #1 tip: communicate so your audience will know what to expect.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

brakeb wrote in iTunes USA, “I learned a lot from Daniel. Daniel's show has definitely made me a better podcaster… He just makes you want to have a better podcast. I like how he lays everything out simply. His show notes are light years better than mine, which I'm working on. If you are a content producer, you definitely want to add this to your listening rotation.”

Sophie, host of The Edtech Podcast, wrote in iTunes UK, “A truly valuable resource for podcasters. Daniel has developed for the podcasting community a vast array of indepth, practical resources, through which to deliver great content and to innovate as the medium develops. Thanks Daniel!!”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/7-ways-to-stay-connected-with-your-audience-during-a-podcast-hiatus-tap293/feed/1Whether you're planning a holiday break, a seasonal hiatus, or need some time off, here are ways to stay connected with your audience so they will anticipate your show's return.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher2937 Ways to Stay Connected with Your Audience During a Podcast Hiatusclean25:31Should Your Podcast Take a Holiday Break? – TAP292https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/should-your-podcast-take-a-holiday-break-tap292/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/should-your-podcast-take-a-holiday-break-tap292/#respondTue, 29 Nov 2016 15:27:00 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=11691

Christmas, New Year's Day, and many more holidays affect people differently. Learn whether you should keep podcasting or take a break during a holiday.

1. Know your audience

Geography

Most likely, if the top country (by a large margin) isn't your own, you may need to consider whether your own holidays will matter to the majority of your audience.

For example, Memorial Day, President's Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving (in November) are nationally observed American holidays. Some of these may be known outside the USA (like Independence Day and Thanksgiving).

Regardless of how you let a holiday affect your podcast, I recommend always being inclusive to those who may not know the holiday. Instead of being vague and saying, “the holiday,” be specific (for example, “It's Independence Day in America this week, …”).

Immediacy

It's also good to know the timelessness or “long tail” of your podcast episodes. Most podcasts will get the majority of their downloads in the first 72 hours. (Edison Research reports that 73% of podsumers play an episode within 48 hours of access.) If your podcast has this same “immediate” consumption pattern, then timely events and holidays may have a greater effect on your audience. But if your podcast has significant downloads continuing after the episode's first week, then timely events may not be as relevant to your audience.

Lifestyles

If you know your audience is affected by the same holidays as you, and they consume your podcast quickly, you should also think about the prominent lifestyle of your audience and how your podcast might fit into that.

Consider Christmas and New Year's Day (which seem to be the most prominent international holidays). This is about a week or more that your audience's daily routines are significantly different. They may take time off work and thus may not be commuting. They may spend more time with family and friends and thus less time alone. They may spend more time with new “toys” and thus less time with established habits. And they may spend more time traveling to visit loved ones, but such traveling may be with others instead of alone.

With this in mind, how does your podcast fit into the lifestyle of your audience? If your podcast is business-focused, then it may not be relevant or even desired around the holidays. If your podcast is entertainment-focused, it could be a way for your audience to escape holiday stress. And if your podcast is focused on something more relevant to the holidays (like family, health, and such), then your audience may need your podcast at that time.

2. Know yourself

Be realistic. How plausible is it for you to continue your podcast around a holiday? This significantly depends on your workflow and episode backlog.

If your podcasting steps are more spread out, either through batching or through being several episodes ahead, then you have a lot more margin for holidays.

What is actually doable for you? If you decide to podcast through the holiday, remember that value isn't measured in time. So your holiday episode doesn't have to be as time-consuming as your others, but it should still be as valuable.

If you think it will be too stressful to podcast through the holiday, then don't feel bad for taking a break!

3. Plan ahead

Look at a calendar to see what holidays (or other events) might affect your podcasting schedule. When you know what's coming up, you can plan accordingly.

For example, if you plan to take the entire month of December off but you want your podcast to continue, you can prerecord episodes weeks in advance.

Or if you decide to not release episodes during that time, you can plan other ways to maintain a connection with your audience.

4. Think long-term

How will your decision today matter six months or a year from now? If your podcast is new, then taking a break in the beginning could certain slow your growth. If your podcast is established, a holiday break may not have a negative effect.

Also consider how your decision will affect your podcast relative to your “competition.” What if you podcast when they're taking a break? Or what if you're taking a break while they're continuing to podcast?

This also means that announcements or apologies about breaks won't matter once the break is past.

Which is right for you?

I don't think there's a definite right or wrong answer on this issue. It really depends on you, your podcast, and your audience. Some podcasts should probably continue through holidays, others should probably take a break.

Consider these few things and make the decision you think is right for you. And remember that there may always be someone who will disagree and complain.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Ed Plumacher (AKA VI-EJP), host of iAccessVO, wrote in iTunes USA, “Informative and timely road map. Thank you for helping to shorten the learning curve for the launch of our podcast, iAccessVO. 29 episodes and one year later, we still find your podcast to be a valuable resource. Thank you for sharing such great information.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/should-your-podcast-take-a-holiday-break-tap292/feed/0Christmas, New Year's Day, and many more holidays affect people differently. Learn whether you should keep podcasting or take a break during a holiday.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher292Should Your Podcast Take a Holiday Break?clean25:29Podcast SEO for iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, and More – TAP291https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/podcast-seo-for-itunes-google-play-music-and-more-apps-tap291/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/podcast-seo-for-itunes-google-play-music-and-more-apps-tap291/#commentsTue, 22 Nov 2016 14:31:27 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=11649

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about podcast search-engine optimization (SEO). I have this information in my SEO for Podcasters course, and I want you to have the core understanding for what SEO stuff actually does and doesn't matter in podcasting.

Common podcast SEO bad advice and myths

Before I get into what does matter, I need to point out some common misconceptions, bad advice, and myths I've heard from many podcasters (even some podcasting experts).

Misconception: Podcast transcripts help SEO

Getting your podcast audio transcribed is not an instant solution to podcast SEO. For the most popular podcast apps, those transcriptions will not affect your SEO at all. For websites, a transcript for show notes is better than a single sentence or paragraph.

The fault of transcripts is in the amount of words relative to the quality of the content. Solo or interview podcasts may result in somewhat helpful transcripts, but conversation podcasts give horrible transcripts.

Bad advice: Treat your author tag as a subtitle

Although the author tag appears along with the title of your podcast in iTunes and other podcast apps, it is not a subtitle and should not be treated as such. The author tag is the place to put the creator (or creators) of the podcast, not to expound on the title or subject matter.

Bad advice: Stuff your author tag with keywords

The author tag is where you list the actual authors/creators/hosts of the podcast. The is not the place to stuff it with keywords, similar podcast names, names of your guests, or names of relevant famous people.

Here's an example of the kind of bad author tag I'm talking about. I changed this to protect the quite guilty.

Daniel J. Lewis chats with entrepreneurs Michael Hyatt, John Lee Dumas, and Pat Flynn with motivation from Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, and Alexander the Great. If Seth Godin had a podcast, this would probably be it.

Of all those names, who actually creates and hosts the podcast? Only one of them. And of all those names, who is actually alive?

This kind of stuff will look horrible in your podcast listing, and it can even get your show blacklisted by Apple!

Myth: ID3 tags affect your SEO

ID3 tags are metadata you attach to your MP3 files. These are helpful for compatibility with various podcast apps and players, but they don't affect SEO because they aren't searched until they downloaded. Even after being downloaded to your subscriptions, some apps may not search the ID3 tags.

I think this confusion comes from cross-platform terminology, like “tags,” “meta tags,” “metadata,” and “meta information.” These are is often used in reference to RSS feeds and webpage stuff, which do affect some SEO. But these tags in your ID3 tags don't affect SEO.

Myth: Your podcast description is not searchable

While it's true that some podcast apps don't search the description, other podcast apps do! (I'll point out which do one below.)

The main purpose of your show description should be to tell someone why they should subscribe to the podcast and what to expect. That can be done with some SEO keywords, but it shouldn't be a priority to stuff the keywords.

For example, if your description includes something like, “We talk about awesomeness, things that are awesome, and give tips for being awesome in your daily life,” you are both including keywords and telling more truth about your podcast.

Myth: Podcast ratings and reviews affect iTunes ranking

There are plenty of good reasons and uses for podcast ratings and reviews, but ranking is not one of them. Many podcasting experts (including Rob Walch, Paul Colligan, and myself) have tested, researched, and proven multiple times that subscriptions are the most important metric to podcast ranking. The charts weigh more heavily on new subscriptions within the last few days, and then fallback to total lifetime subscriptions.

Doesn't it actually make sense for subscriptions to matter more than reviews? Think about measuring a book's popularity. Wouldn't you expect its popularity to be based on number of copies sold instead of on the number of reviews about the book?

Misconception: Cover art doesn't matter for search

The point of SEO is to make your podcast show up in relevant searches and to attract the right audience.

The words in your podcast cover art will not make your podcast more findable. But where your cover art can help is in communicating the quality and subject of your podcast.

Imagine you want a podcast about baking cakes. You enter some keywords in iTunes and the #1 result has cover art that shows a couple machine guns and cats. How relevant would that podcast seem to baking cakes?

Your cover art is an opportunity to not only catch someone's eye, but also to help attract the right audience.

Myth: Every word in certain fields is searchable

Podcast apps search differently and place different emphasis on different types of words. A while back, a search for “clean comedy” would ignore the word “clean” and thus search for only “comedy.” The results were the top comedy podcasts—all explicit. Yikes, right?

Many search engines have a list of words or types of words they ignore. These are commonly called “stopwords.” Those are usually short and seemingly unimportant words, like “a,” “the,” “to,” and such. Thus, some apps may return results for “audacity podcast” when you search for “The Audacity to Podcast,” even though the “the” and “to” in my title are extremely important.

Besides these stopwords, some apps search with different styles of queries. Here are some examples with “audacity podcast” as the query:

“or” searches will return any results that match “audacity” or “podcast.”

“and” searches will return any results that include both “audacity” and “podcast.”

“exact” searches will return any results that include the exact phrase “audacity podcast” and would thus exclude “audacity to podcast.”

“similar” searches will use some intelligence to return results with similar words or similar forms of words, such as “podcasts” when you searched for “podcast.”

What matters to Google Play Music for podcast SEO

Google finally got back into supporting podcasts when they started including podcasts in Google Play Music in early 2016. I believe this will eventually become a major destination for podcast consumption (“podsumption”), so it's important to ensure your podcast is findable there.

Google Play Music will first use any <googleplay:…> tags in your RSS feed and will fallback to the equivalent <itunes:…> tags if the Google Play Music tags don't exist.

1. Show title

This is the overall title of your podcast, in the channel-level <title> tag of your RSS feed.

2. Show author

This is the overall author/creator of your podcast, in the channel-level <googleplay:author> or <itunes:author> tag of your RSS feed.

3. Show description

This is the overall description of your podcast, in the channel level <googleplay:description>, <itunes:summary>, or <description> (in that order of priority).

Again, I show how to leverage each of these tags and best-practices inside my SEO for Podcasters, which is now included for all members of Podcasters' Society! The Google Play Music part isn't in there, yet, but will be in the course updates in 2017.

What matters to other popular podcast apps for SEO

iTunes and Google Play Music are not the only popular podcast apps, so I researched more highly popular apps for what matters in their searches.

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Mike Hayes (AKA “Hayesman22”), host of College Debt to Career Cash, wrote in iTunes USA,” Extremely helpful for a brand new podcaster as myself. Like many of us, I am trying to fine tune my audience and message. So to think in terms of reference or habit is thought provoking. To grow an audience, I think a good show will do both! Thanks for making me think more about the goal of my show. Also I enjoyed you mentioning the bible and the spiritual stuff! My podcast is: College Debt to Career Cash. I only have four episodes out and I have major improvements planned so go easy on me!”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/podcast-seo-for-itunes-google-play-music-and-more-apps-tap291/feed/9Dispel the myths and misconceptions about podcast search-engine optimization (SEO). Learn what actually does and doesn't matter in podcasting.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher291Podcast SEO for iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, and Moreclean43:10Is Your Podcast a Reference, or a Habit for Your Audience? – TAP290https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/is-your-podcast-a-reference-or-a-habit-for-your-audience-tap290/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/is-your-podcast-a-reference-or-a-habit-for-your-audience-tap290/#commentsTue, 15 Nov 2016 14:55:46 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=11633

Reference or habit? These two approaches to your podcast could make a huge difference in engaging with your community and growing your audience.

This topic was inspired by a conversation with Clay Lamb from Home Contractors HQ (current name).

Why “reference” versus “habit” matters

What I'm about to share with you could be the key in understanding why your podcast promotion may not be working, why your podcast audience may not be growing, and why you could be struggling to keep your podcast going.

What is a “reference” podcast?

A “reference” is something you use when you have a specific need. For example:

YouTube video on how to weld plumbing

Dictionary definition of a word

Encyclopedic resource to understand a subject

An answer to a question

Generally, these are things you might not consume on a regular basis; people rarely read the dictionary page by page!

You might have a “reference” podcast if each episode is serving only one or more isolated needs.

There are cases where all of those combined needs may form a habit. For example, understanding how to maintain a car requires knowing how to check oil, tire pressure, change a flat tire, read indicator lights, add windshield-washer fluid, and more.

Even then, when the need is met, the consumer might not stay.

What is a “habit” podcast?

A “habit” is something that becomes part of your life. Some habits are by choice, some are by necessity, and some are unintentional. Habits often connect to passions and lifestyles. For example:

Movies, novels, and comedy feed an ongoing desire for entertainment.

Self-help and spiritual materials feed an ongoing desire for improvement.

Topic/industry-specific content feeds an ongoing interest or passion.

Education feeds an ongoing need for knowledge and understanding.

Note the theme of “ongoing” in each of these. A habit is ongoing.

You might have a “habit” podcast if all your episodes are serving a bigger need, and people want to consume your episodes regularly because the podcast feeds an ongoing need or desire.

A “habit” contains many needs. You may not be able to distinguish or even see all of your needs. Consider this very content for example! You may have never considered whether your podcast is a reference or a habit, but it's something that is feeding your ongoing interest in improving your podcast.

How “reference” and “habit” affect your podcast

I believe for your podcast (a series you want people to subscribe to), you should seek to make it a “habit” podcast—fulfilling the ongoing needs or desires of your audience.

“Reference” and “habit” may not be immediately evident from any particular podcast. For example, Mignon Fogarty's Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing could seem like a reference podcast, but it actually makes a habit out of reference. Each episode shares valuable information you might be searching for, and the overall podcast feeds a bigger desire (and need) to get better at communicating in English. I have listened to every episode since the show's beginning, and I sometimes search the archive as a reference.

Timely versus timeless content

I think reference and habit are separate from timeliness and timelessness. Habit content can be timely or timeless, and reference content can also be timely or timeless. So I don't think you should see only timeless content as valuable and timely as a waste. Instead, you can choose the timeliness or timelessness of your content based on how well it feeds the habit for your audience.

Audience growth

If your podcast is purely reference content, then you could struggle to grow your audience because people don't think your podcast meets an ongoing need or desire.

When you can design your podcast to provide habit content, then it's easier to grow an audience because they'll want to keep returning for more.

Presentation perspective

Even if you provide reference content, how you approach and communicate the content could make it also habit content.

Movie-discussion podcasts are good examples of this. Each episode could be a self-contained discussion and reference about a one particular movie. But if the hosts integrate their unique perspectives (or an overall perspective of the podcast, such as music, philosophy, a specific actor, etc.), subscribers will become more interested in what the hosts think about any movie than simply wanting a reference about a particular movie.

Interview-based podcasts can be both reference and habit, too. People will listen to your interviews not always because of the guest, but because of the conversations you create. Even for John Lee Dumas's template approach to EOFire (an approach overly imitated), people listen because of the expected value John designed his template to provide.

Consider this example. You may have hundreds of recipes you want to share. If you have no authority or influence yet, people probably won't care about receiving recipe after recipe. But if all those recipes support the same diet, then each recipe becomes a reference to feed a habit.

These approaches are more about how you present the content than the content itself.

Focus on making “habit” content

I think your best results will come from making your podcast feed a “lifestyle.” That is, an ongoing need or desire, either in the content itself or in your approach to the content—even if you offer “reference” content!

This approach is what makes your audience put your podcast in their regular routine, instead of putting it on the shelf to reference only when necessary.

(Personal aside to my fellow Christians: apply all of this to your perspective of the Bible and accountability and encouragement from fellow believers. These should not be merely “references,” but habits and part of our lives!)

What kind of podcast are you creating? What kind of relationships, if any, are you inspiring by how your present your message?

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Jason (AKA “SkepticSmash”), from Skeptic Smash Talk Podcast, said in iTunes UK, “Brilliant and Informative. Really enjoy the tips and strategies, particularly when it comes to listener engagement and how to respect listeners, I wish more podcasters would pay attention to this.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/is-your-podcast-a-reference-or-a-habit-for-your-audience-tap290/feed/3Reference or habit? These two approaches to your podcast could make a huge difference in engaging with your community and growing your audience.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher290Is Your Podcast a Reference, or a Habit for Your Audience?clean34:07How to Stay Safe and Secure in Podcasting – TAP289https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-stay-safe-and-secure-in-podcasting-tap289/
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-stay-safe-and-secure-in-podcasting-tap289/#commentsTue, 08 Nov 2016 14:21:40 +0000https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/?p=11323

Internet security and privacy are deeply connected and important to your safety. Here are 17 tips to help you stay safe and secure in podcasting.

2. Maintain reasonable ownership

As much as possible, ensure you own or at least have significant control over the most important parts of your podcast:

RSS feed—Do you own the URL? Can you redirect it whenever and wherever you want? Is the URL reserved so no one else can steal it?

Domain—Always point people to your own domain, even if it merely points to somewhere else when you're starting out.

Hosting—You could have more control by leasing a VPS or dedicated server. However you host your website and media, keep backups so that you can more easily move, if you must.

3. Use secure passwords

Weak passwords are one of the easiest ways for “hackers” to access anything. Generally, the harder a password is to speak, type, and remember, the better it probably is!

Secure passwords should be:

Long—Use the maximum number of characters a site or service will allow

Contain a mix of characters—Use numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and symbols

Avoid anything from a dictionary—Words are easy to guess

Not include anything personal—Birth dates, names, places, and such can all be figured out

The only passwords you need to know are the ones you must enter without a password manager. For example, your mobile device's password, your PC's password, or your password-manager's password.

4. Activate two-factor authentication everywhere

Two-factor authentication (often abbreviated “2FA”) is when a second device or method is required for authorization. This could be a link or code sent through email, SMS, postal mail, phone call, or other notification.

With 2FA, logging into a supported site or service on a computer would require not only the username and password, but also a code either generated by a different algorithm and available only on another device, or something sent to another location.

5. Make up answers to security questions

One thing that I do to protect myself when setting up accounts, is to never use true information for the security questions… For example, if one of my security questions for the account is “What's your mother's maiden name?” or “Name of your first school?” my answer might be something like “Applesauce.” The information doesn't have to be true, just something to which you can provide the correct answer. With things like classmates.com, ancestry.com or a Google search, it's very easy to find the real answers to these questions.

You've probably seen those additional security questions that you can choose or customize. “Where were you born?” “What was your first car?” “Who was your first crush?” And so on. While some of these may be things only you know, it's probably more likely someone else could figure them out, especially with how transparent social networks make us.

Usually, the answers don't actually have to be correct or even make sense. The answer could even be another secure password!

Be careful with things like birth dates, as some services may require a photo ID at some point if you're locked out of your account. If the dates don't match, you could face a hard time.

6. Use password-managers

My previous three tips focused on securing your logins. That can be very difficult when you have only your memory to guide you. Thus, I fully recommend using intelligent password-managers to create, secure, and prefill this information for you.

8. Archive instead of deleting

What happens to podcast episodes after they die? Keep an archive of all your podcast episodes, even if it's only the MP3s. I've worked with some podcasters who had lost their episodes and had no way to recover them.

When you finish with a podcast episode, I recommend you compress the episode folder and archive it somewhere safe and secure. My current favorites are BackBlaze B2, Amazon S3, and Amazon Cloud Drive (my current choice). You could also use a spare hosting account, if that's acceptable use of their service.

9. Update frequently (and upgrade when you can)

WordPress, website plugins, apps, and many other tools release frequent updates. I'm not saying you need to upgrade to the latest versions, but I do think you should stay updated with the latest patches.

For example, an operating-system upgrade may be too risky with older hardware and software, but you should keep that operating system version as updated as possible with all its security patches.

You should do the same for your website, too.

The latest upgrades will usually be more secure, so it's best to upgrade when you can.

10. Share login access smartly and rarely

Many sites, services, and people may require access to your other accounts. As much as possible, avoid outright giving usernames and passwords—especially to fringe social-media tools.

Use APIs or OAuth (authenticating through a service instead of giving your login) as much as possible when one thing needs to access another.

If you must share login access with another person, use a password-manager to share the login without exposing your password. You could, instead, make or authorize an additional account for temporary access.

For example, make another admin account if you need someone to do something on your WordPress site. Then, when they're finished, you can delete the account or downgrade its access.

And as much as possible, avoid sharing login access with anyone or anything.

Instead of logging into sites with a social account, I recommend creating a username and password for each site. This way, if someone gets access to your social account, they're not able to login to a bunch of your other accounts.

Also be careful with what sites or services you connect to your social accounts, even if it's through API or OAuth. They may post without your knowing it.

11. Be cautious on public or unsecure Wi-Fi

You would be surprised how much information can be harvested over public or unsecure wireless networks. Ensure anything you login to is done over HTTPS (you'll see “https://” in the address bar).

Another good way to protect yourself is by using a virtual private network (VPN) that allows you to encrypt and route your Internet traffic through somewhere else.

12. Secure your mobile devices

Mobile devices could be the weakest point in your security. Not only could they already contain sensitive information on them, but they could also be used to access your other secure accounts (with two-factor authentication). And because mobile devices are small and valuable, they're also big targets for theft.

So ensure your mobile device has the utmost security enabled: encryption, location-tracking, “bricking” or erasing after a certain number of failed login attempts, and instant-locking (instead of locking with a password after some time).

Beyond the digital side of the security, also be secure with the physical side. Protect your phone from damage by putting it in a protective case. If it's your two-factor authentication device, you wouldn't want it to be disabled when you need to login! Also protect the device from theft by carrying it in harder-to-steal areas and not setting it out where someone could easily grab it and run.

13. Think critically

A whole bunch of disasters can be avoided by making smarter decisions. I can't say your gut will always be right about what or whom to trust, but when you feel like something is not right, do not proceed!

Here are some suggestions.

If someone—even someone you trust—sends you a URL with no explanation, you probably shouldn't click on it.

Don't give out personal information to companies calling you! If they claim to be from the government or a company you do business with, insist on calling them back through a number you trust.

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't true.

A little critical thinking can go a long way to protecting yourself! (And don't fall for those scams claiming to be the IRS!)

14. Monitor weak spots

There will always be potential holes in any system. So here are some ways to keep things in check to alert you to problem or quickly fix things once they've been compromised.

Monitor credit-card and bank statements to ensure you're not paying for things you didn't buy.

Regularly re-evaluate OAuth and API access you've granted. This is usually in a section like “Applications,” “API,” “Access,” or “Connected Accounts.” If you don't use something anymore, revoke its access.

Look for indicators of problems, such as sudden performance issues, which could indicate a brute-force attack; password-reset requests on your accounts; and other suspicious activity.

Scan for malware on your websites to ensure no one snuck anything on through some security hole.

15. Implement protections

Protections are important, but you can't always rely on them. The most common protections are:

Antivirus—blocking and scanning for threats that can damage and spread

Firewall—preventing unauthorized or suspicious activity from getting through (in or out)

Malware-scanning—finding and eliminating stuff that shouldn't be there

Denial-of-Service prevention—protecting against systems that will use brute force to crack a password or simply crash a server

16. Enable encryption

Think about your own computer. It may have a username and password required to use the computer, but what if someone connected the hard drive to a different computer? They may be able to access all your files with little or no problem. Encryption can prevent that.

Encrypting data will make it inaccessible without a decryption key. The latest operating systems usually offer advanced encryption technologies that will barely affect performance. On my macOS PC, for example, the decryption adds only a few seconds to my boot-up and an imperceivable delay on launching programs.

17. Find people you can trust

All of these methods for protecting yourself and your data are important. It's also important that you have a couple people you can trust with access to all of this. I think the first person should be your husband or wife. Additionally, consider trusting someone outside your family.

Think of the worst-case scenarios and take necessary steps to equip others to help in such cases.

What steps are you taking to keep yourself and your podcast safe and secure?

Thank you for the podcast reviews!

Rudy (AKA “Biggrood”), host of Cascade Hiker Podcast, said in iTunes USA, “I have used soooo many tips from your show. Thanks for always answering my questions… even though I haven't ever asked you one! The show notes have been helpful in the past as well. My podcast, Cascade Hiker Podcast, has been gaining traction thanks to this show.”

Your written iTunes reviews encourage me and they help other people find the podcast.
If you appreciate the podcasting information I share, please write your own
review on iTunes or
Stitcher!

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and
may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't
recommend only affiliates.

]]>https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-stay-safe-and-secure-in-podcasting-tap289/feed/1Internet security and privacy are deeply connected and important to your safety. Here are 17 tips to help you stay safe and secure in podcasting.Daniel J. Lewis, podcasting industry expert and how to podcast teacher289How to Stay Safe and Secure in Podcastingclean56:54